'Perfect' Marge's compassionate care recognised with prestigious national award
A Sister who is embodying University Hospital of Derby and Burton's (UHDB) value of compassion with her kind and personalised approach to care has been recognised with a prestigious Cavell Star Award.
Sister Margaret-Mary Taylor - or Marge, as she is known to colleagues on the Combined Day Unit (CDU) at Royal Derby Hospital - was nominated by Chris Stark, Director of Legal Services, after she cared for his father, and praised her for being "perfect" in the heartfelt kindness she showed while supporting him, as well as the way she personalised every conversation, ensuring Chris' father received the precise level of information that he asked for during his treatment.
When nominating Marge for the national award, Chris said: "Dad particularly noted Sister Taylor's compassionate manner. She did not rush him and empowered him to ask questions, which she answered with empathy and honesty. Dad said Sister Taylor was "perfect" - she obviously made a lasting impression to have received such high praise. He wanted his positive experiences to be shared across the Trust and the nursing profession, as he believes Sister Taylor is an asset to UHDB.
"She really made a difference to my Dad at a time when care and compassion was so important."
As well as delivering high-quality care to our patients, Marge is also modelling these exceptional behaviours to other colleagues and healthcare students as Sister on the CDU - ensuring that the people accessing the unit are consistently receiving compassionate care.
Usually a vocal member of the CDU team by her own admission, Marge was left speechless and visibly emotional when presented with the Cavell Star medal and certificate by Stephen Posey, Chief Executive, and Garry Marsh, Executive Chief Nurse, last month - and her beloved place in the team was clear to see by the reaction of her colleagues who were able to pause and celebrate the presentation on the day.
She said: "It was a massive surprise - I thought they were coming in to look around the unit, and because I was in charge on the day, they needed to speak to me! I'm absolutely gobsmacked, and I'm not often lost for words - but that really has stumped me. I couldn't do it without everyone else on the unit - it's these people, my colleagues, they are the most amazing people to work with.
"Receiving this award just helps to feel that we are doing what we set out to do for our patients, and that I'm getting it right with how I am providing care. It is a group collective, and I try to be the best I can - I want people to feel comfortable coming in for treatment. This is often among the worst time of their lives, so what we can try to do is understand the person and be able to support them.
"I absolutely remember Mr Stark, he was asking lots of questions and I like that because it tests me and helps me with my learning, and it's important patients are informed about what is happening. I encourage questions and if there's something I don't know, I can go and find the information and pass it on to help the patient. Even as a sister on the unit, I’m still learning. It helps that we have the best patients, the most thankful, genuine patients."
The Cavell Star Awards - organised by charity Cavell, which supports nursing and midwifery colleagues across the UK - celebrate nurses, midwives, nursing associates and healthcare assistants who exhibit exceptional care for patients, their families and colleagues.
Stephen Posey, Chief Executive, read out the full award nomination letter for Marge as part of the presentation, as she joined a handful of UHDB colleagues to have received this notable national accolade.
He said: "It was clear when reading Chris' nomination of Marge why she has been honoured with this recognition by Cavell. Her compassion, insight and personalised approach to care is a shining example of the high-quality support we want to provide to members of our community when they require our services.
"Seeing the reactions of her colleagues showed that those values and characteristics are shared across the unit, and Marge should be proud that her demonstration of such kind and empathic care delivery is helping inspire colleagues, which in turn will see more and more patients benefit from this compassionate approach."
