Royal Surrey scoops top prize at south east awards ceremony

The Royal Surrey County Hospital has won four top awards at a South East wide ceremony held in Brighton last night (Wednesday, 16th April 2008).
 
Staff and teams from the Royal Surrey triumphed in four of the five categories they were nominated for and the winners included the prestigious Health and Social Care Professional of the Year award, which went to Physiotherapist Katherine Binks.
 
The Best of Health and Health and Social Care awards recognises the hard work, dedication and achievements of NHS staff from across Kent, Surrey and Sussex.
 
The Royal Surrey won the following awards:
 
Adopt, Adapt and Improve – Ponseti team
 
The Ponseti team have transformed the lives of babies and children born with talipes, which is more commonly know as club foot. The team have adapted a treatment originally developed by Prof Ignatio Ponseti in the 1940s. Children born with clubfoot would previously have needed surgery by the age of one and then stretching and strapping of the foot. This treatment starts when the baby is born and the baby’s foot is manipulated and put into a cast. Children treated have pain-free and functional feet and less deformity. Parents of the babies treated have nothing but praise for the team made up of Orthopaedic Surgeon Christopher Coates and Physiotherapists Katherine Binks and Mia Dunkley.
 
Service Transformation – Cardiac Diagnostics Team
 
This was a joint effort between the hospital and Surrey PCT and the team worked together and redesigned the service to improve diagnosis and waiting times for patients. The result has meant drastically reduced waiting times for tests – down from 13 to two weeks, a one stop shop that carries out same day investigations and outpatients can choose when they want to have their tests, which allows them to plan and prepare. Long waiting times are now a thing of the past and patients are no longer making repeated visits to the hospital for tests and investigations.
 
Health and Social Care Professional of the Year
 
Katherine Binks was appointed as the hospital’s first ever Paediatric Physiotherapist in 2002 and since then has helped numerous children and their families to manage and cope with a variety of conditions. Katherine won the award for going above and beyond the call of duty. Katherine constantly looks for new ways of improving the care the children receive from her and raises money to buy specialist equipment such as buggies and car seats for children with deformities that parents can borrow during the sometimes lengthy treatment. One mum said:
 
“Katherine deserves this award for her dedication and unbelievable personal input into every patient. She is able to make any situation or diagnosis more bearable through her practical, caring and immensely positive approach to treatment.”
 
Unsung Hero
 
Despite Annabelle Cribb suffering from severe Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease, she has tirelessly dedicated her time to helping others suffering from similar conditions. Annabelle helps with the rehabilitation classes, organises patient information, visits other patients at home and organised lifts for patients to hospital for their appointments. She is a founder member and chair of the local Breath Easy Group and when members are unwell will make sure that their prescriptions are collected and shopping is done.
 
Commenting on the success, Chief Executive Nick Moberly said:
 
“Everyone at the Royal Surrey is extremely proud of the teams and individuals who have won these awards. It is recognition of their hard work and dedication day in, day out to ensuring that their patients receive the best possible care and treatment.
 
“Staff at the Royal Surrey are passionate about what they do and these winners reflect that. What is most gratifying is that the efforts of our award winners have been recognised and praised by our patients and that is the best and most important test of whether we are delivering a good service.”
 
Breast Surgery and Histopathology were the Surrey finalist for the Innovative Health and Social Care Technology award. The team are using a one step diagnostic test on patients undergoing surgery for breast cancer. The test checks if the cancer has already spread to the lymph nodes and if it is has they can be removed in the same operation. This means that these women do not have undergo a second operation.
 
The Ponseti and Cardiac Diagnostic teams will now go forward to the National Health and Social Care awards to be held in July. The judging panel for the awards will be chaired by NHS Chief Executive David Nicholson.
 
Ends.

1. Photographs of the winners are available and interviews and filming can also be arranged.
2. For more information please contact Lisa Ward, Head of Communications and Marketing Tel: 01483 408337.