Islington Tribune - by PETER GRUNER Published:24 December 2008
Gillian Seiles, centre manager of Pulse N7
Honours for NHS staff who ‘go the extra mile’
Top comic hands out awards at annual ceremony
COMEDIAN Paul Whitehouse presented awards to stars of the NHS at the annual awards ceremony last week. Every year, patients, members of the public and NHS staff in Islington are asked to nominate local health workers who have gone above and beyond the call of duty and really impressed them this year.
A judging panel has the task of determining the winners and runners-up in each of the five award categories. The 2008 Health Star award winners are: • Clinical Team of the Year: The Podiatry team, Northern Health Centre. • Non Clinical Team of the Year: Child health information team • Health Improvement: Gillian Seiles, centre manager of Pulse N7 • Improving Patient Experience: Dr David Davies, Amwell Practice • Outstanding Contribution: Carol Forsdyke, patient and chairwoman of the Breathe Easy Islington group.
A patient who nominated the Podiatry Team for the Clinical Team of the Year award said: “These wonderful people take the time to explain their role in your treatment and make you feel more comfortable in their care. Their tender loving care means I can walk out of their department with a spring in my step.”
Gillian Seiles, centre manager of Pulse N7 – a one-stop shop offering young people confidential and timely services covering all aspects of their lives – won the Health Improvement award because “her openness to including and accommodating new services has been crucial in enabling young people to access the many services they need under one roof”.
Rachel Tyndall, chief executive of NHS Islington, said: “This year we received a large number of brilliant nominations and it was difficult for the judging panel to decide who the winners should be. “It’s clear from the nominations that there are many incredibly dedicated staff working in here Islington.
“Thank you to all the members of the public who sent in their nominations to tell us about the healthcare workers who have really made a difference and gone the extra mile to provide them with the best standard of care over the last year.”