Healthcare workers given awards for 'amazing job' during coronavirus outbreak

Shropshire Community Health NHS Trust's chair Nuala O’Kane presented chair’s awards to Alison Nightingale, a school nurse support worker, and Liz Law, a nursery nurse, at a virtual board meeting.

The duo were nominated by Adelle Astley, a specialist public health nurse within the trust’s healthy child programme.

The chair’s award is presented to an individual or team that has gone the extra mile in supporting patients, carers or their colleagues in a way that truly reflects the trust's values and stands out as remarkable action that deserves to be celebrated.

Adelle said: “Alison and Liz have both stepped out of their comfort zone and worked in the community within adult services, and have totally embraced it.

"They have both done an amazing job.”

Nuala said: “At the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic over 400 members of Shropshire Community Health NHS Trust (Shropcom) staff were redeployed to other service areas and even other trusts.

"This sudden change can’t have been easy for them and yet they all did so with good grace and professionalism.

“Alison and Liz are representative of these staff.

"They were redeployed for 12 weeks from children’s services to adult community services. They embraced new job roles and working with new colleagues and service users.

“And not only did they do an outstanding job, they also learnt new skills such as taking blood, which they have brought back to their team.

"Alison and Liz recently volunteered to use this skill to take blood samples from team members for antibody testing.

“Alison and Liz embody Shropcom’s values and the board and I are immensely proud of them. I would like to thank them for their resilience, flexibility and professionalism during this very challenging time.”

Anyone can nominate a member of staff or volunteer for a chair’s award by emailing their details for consideration to shropcom.communications@nhs.net