Staff accolades

'Absolute star' Mark receives Patient Hero award for going above and beyond for Derby patient

Mark Bernstein being presented with the Patient Hero Monthly Making a Difference Award

A member of the Imaging Team has been presented with a Making a Difference Monthly Award after a patient praised him for going the “extra mile” and providing them with reassurance and support during their appointment.

Mark Bernstein, Clinical Imaging Assistant in MRI at Royal Derby Hospital, received January’s Patient Hero Award after receiving a glowing nomination from a patient who described being  anxious when attending their appointment, calling him a “privilege to the hospital”.

The nomination read: "My appointment was for an MRI scan and also a CT scan. When turning up at the MRI unit today I was extremely emotional and found it tricky to hold back the tears as reality hit me quite hard that things could be serious.

“I was greeted by a lovely gentleman called Mark, he was an absolute star. I explained to him my situation and he put me at ease straight away. He was comforting to me, he spoke to me all the time and he was checking in on me all the time while doing his other duties which was really reassuring.

“It's people like him that really make a difference to people like me who are strong in day-to-day life, but in situations like this become very vulnerable. Thank you for taking care of me, putting me at ease and for being so kind.”

Upon receiving the award, an emotional Mark said: “This is really sweet and I feel so emotional, it means so much to me to hear this. To be able to provide this service to patients is what I come to work for so this has really touched my heart.”

Mark was presented his award by Grace Pearn, Director of Allied Health Professionals (AHPs), who praised Mark for his ongoing compassion and dedication to patient care: “These words are really special as they have come from someone you provided care for, and when patients put this into words, it means so much more. From what your team and colleagues have told me, this isn’t a one off and you bring something really special for patients and help to keep them calm. Well done, this is so well deserved.”

Dave Tipper, General Manager of the Imaging Business Unit, was also there alongside some of Mark’s team members to present him with his award, and said: “Every patient in MRI seems to know who Mark is and they all say such wonderful things about you.

“It has been a really difficult last couple of years in Imaging and I am so incredibly proud of every member of our team and Mark embodies everything that is great about the team - I am honoured to be here today to present him with this award. This is not a one-off occurrence, Mark provides this level of care on a daily basis, so I cannot think of anyone more deserving.”

If you would like to nominate a colleague or team for a Monthly Making a Difference Award, please let us know.

There are four monthly Making a Difference Awards categories:

  • Chief Executive Award – chosen by our Chief Executive
  • Patient Hero Award – nominated by patients
  • Team UHDB Award – you can nominate your team or another team
  • Excellent Employee Award – you can nominate your colleagues

You can send a 300 word nomination, along with the name of the team or individual, their job title and where they work, to: uhdb.employeeawards@nhs.net.

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