West Suffolk Hospital nurse Helen Whiting awarded Cavell Star as she celebrates 40 years working for the NHS
A nurse who started working at West Suffolk Hospital in Bury St Edmunds when she was 17 has been surprised with a prestigious award.
Helen Whiting, 58, who lives in Roydon, near Diss, had no idea that she had been successfully nominated for a Cavell Star by her colleagues.
The nurse, who works in critical care, arrived at the hospital thinking she was going to present training on her day off.
Instead she was awarded the Cavell Star, which recognises those who show exceptional care, and was congratulated by her team and people she had worked with previously.
Rachel Fenton, clinical team manager, said Helen’s colleagues were ‘so grateful’ the nurse decided to work in critical care.
She read out a citation, used to nominate Helen for the award, which said she is ‘one of the kindest and most compassionate nurses you could ever hope to meet’.
Colleagues took the opportunity to present her with a badge, letter, and certificate which marked her 40 years of NHS service.
Helen said she was ‘shocked’ to receive the award but ‘so pleased’ to have the recognition.
“It’s a hard job but we have a lovely team, and it’s all about patient care and doing the best we can as a team.”
Helen was nominated for the Cavell Star by the critical care team who highlighted her development of the patient profile form.
The form supports healthcare staff to get the personal information they need about patients, helping them to provide more compassionate and person-centred care.
It is now used across the hospital’s wards and has been nationally recognised.
Sue Wilkinson, executive chief nurse at West Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust (WSFT) said: “Helen is a true shining star, she delivers such high-quality personalised care to all her patients.
“She should be so very proud of all that she has achieved.”
In the citation, her colleagues said they felt fortunate to work with her, saying: “Every team would benefit from having someone like Helen.”
