Column: Success is well worth shouting about

The South Yorkshire and Bassetlaw winners of this year’s General Practice Nursing Awards were announced last week at a ceremony at Rotherham’s New York Stadium, and Doncaster front-line staff collected three of the eight top honours.

Janine Hoyland, from Scawsby Health Centre, received the coveted Practice Nurse of the Year Award, alongside David Roberts and Matthew Cain, from the Kingthorne Group Practice who collected the Healthcare Practitioner of the Year and Rising Star (practice nurse with less than two years’ experience) awards respectively.

Nicky Errington, practice manager at Scawsby Health Centre, said she nominated Janine because of the ‘dedication, care and enthusiasm she displays every day’.​ The grandma of two, who turns 60 this year, started her nurse training in 1977 and qualified three years later. She says she loves her job and looks forward to going to work. How wonderful is that?

At the other end of the age spectrum, is newly qualified Matthew , who at just 22 years of age earned the ‘rising star’ award, having started his nursing career straight from school.

Kingthorne colleague, David, at 51 years old, has 33 years experience under his belt, having trained as a nurse with the Queen Alexandra’s Royal Army Nursing Corp. He served in the military for 16 years, taking in tours of duty in the Gulf, Ireland, Germany and Belize, before joining the NHS.

The trio now go through the Yorkshire and Humberside awards, which will be announced in York in March.

There were also some worthy runners-up for the various award categories, who also work at Doncaster surgeries: Linda Sanders-Cowley and Wendy Walmsley, from Kingthorne, in the town centre; Susan Hardisty, from Scawthorpe’s Petersgate Medical Centre; Patricia Hempstead, from Mexborough Health Centre; and Angela Cheesmond, from The Rossington Practice.

All were nominated by colleagues for consistently going ‘above and beyond’ what is expected of their roles and they should be very proud of their achievements.

In addition, Karen Redmile, from Thorne’s Northfield Surgery, was a runner-up for the People’s Choice Award, a category that enabled members of the public to nominate their favourite practice nurse. Well done to Karen.

The staff who work alongside doctors like me in high street GP practices play a vital role in helping patients manage their health problems and are one of the reasons why the NHS is so well liked and respected in this its 70th year.

Evidence suggests that around 90 per cent of all NHS appointments are held in local GP surgeries, which are often the first port of call for anyone with a health problem. So you can see how important that practice staff are in helping to keep the health care wheels turning.