Doncaster Deputy Nursing Director receives 'lifetime contribution' award from Cancer Alliance

Stacey Nutt, who qualified as a nurse in 2000 at the Trust, is best-known for her work in the Chatsfield Suite at Doncaster Royal Infirmary, a chemotherapy unit providing services for day-case haematology and solid tumour malignancies, where she worked for many years.

Drawn to haematology at the start of her career, Stacey eventually worked her way up through the ranks, holding positions as a Ward Manager, Chemotherapy Lead Nurse and eventually in 2014 as the Lead Nurse for Cancer, Palliative care and End of Life (EOL).

“I never seemed to consider anything other than becoming a nurse. When this career was discussed with me it just felt natural.” Said Stacey.

After a particularly difficult period in which Stacey and her team cared for a young patient who lost her fight to leukaemia, Stacey was asked to read a eulogy by the deceased’s family. It was at this point that her calling for nursing was truly tested.

She explained: “It was a pivotal part of my career. I was questioning whether I could continue to be a nurse. It was breaking me, such was the profound sadness that you can experience in this line of work.

“When I stood up, I looked up at the gallery, and I resolved to myself at that point that I need to make a real difference to these patients and families – and since then I’ve never looked back.”

Stacey’s work in cancer services moved the Chatsfield Suite into the position of being amongst the best in the region. She contributed to the improvement of patient experience surveys and expanded a single haematology nurse service into a team of five.

On top of this, her innovative and proactive spirit led to her team being the first trained in nurse-led bone marrow biopsies and nurse-led chemotherapy assessments.

Losing her mother in 2010 was also an important milestone for Stacey. Her final words have formed the basis on which Stacey conducts herself, as well as informed her work within the NHS.

Stacey explained: “When mum died, she said to me ‘Keep making me proud’.

“I think about that promise every day and use it in everything I do in developing services; I hope I have made my mum proud.”

Now in her role as Deputy Director of Nursing for Patient Experience, Stacey wants to continue to honour her mother’s wish through making things work better with the patient in mind.

She said: “If I were a stick of rock, I’d have DBTH running through it. I am a local person and I want to empower our communities. Everyone’s voices matter to make our organisation truly what it is.”

Stacey was presented with her Outstanding Contribution Award earlier this year by the South Yorkshire and Bassetlaw Cancer Alliance.

For more on Doncaster and Bassetlaw Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust visit https://www.dbth.nhs.uk/

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