'Inspirational' Joanne Lloyd presented with surprise Cavell Star Award
Joanne Lloyd, a Healthcare Assistant (HCA) at Royal Derby Hospital, has been awarded with a Cavell Star – a nursing award created by the Cavell Nurses’ Trust for nurses, midwives and HCAs who show exceptional care.
Joanne, who works at the Gynaecology Outpatients Department and Gynaecology Assessment Unit, was given the award in a surprise presentation by her team on 15 July, after she was nominated by Senior Sister at the Department, Melanie McDonagh.
Melanie was delighted for her success: “Jo is an exceptional HCA with a naturally caring and supportive nature. She shows compassion for every patient and goes far above and beyond her duties for them.
“Gynaecology is a very sensitive area and Jo feels every emotion with the patient. She will spend as much time with them as she can to provide them with the information and support they need, while ensuring they are comfortable and put at ease.
“She gets a lot of praise from patients for this. Recently, she even received a poem from a patient to express her gratitude for the quality of her care while she was going through a very challenging time.
“I’m delighted she has won. I could have nominated numerous members of staff from my team, but when I learnt about this award, I had to nominate the always outstanding, wonderful and passionate Jo.”
Joanne said she started her “care journey” 25 years ago, and has been “making sure that everyone feels comfortable with the services we provide” as part of the Gynaecology team at UHDB for over eight years.
She said she was “shocked” at receiving the award, adding that she was just “doing what comes naturally” to her.
“My job is to ensure every support is given to all patients that come through our doors, during what is often a difficult and sensitive time for them.”
Melanie was happy that UHDB and institutions like the Cavell Nurses’ Trust are doing more to celebrate exceptional staff like Joanne, who often “don’t realise just how amazing they are” in their roles.
“I think everyone who can should nominate colleagues in their team for this award. After a challenging few years, being able to take stock and celebrate the brilliance of our staff is wonderful. Across UHDB, our staff are outstanding and it’s vital they know they are appreciated and just how much they are valued. Awards like this go a long way to demonstrate that!"
UHDB will be hosting the Making a Difference Awards in October 2022. If you have have used our health services over the last 12 months, and wished to nominate an exceptional member of #TeamUHDB, you can do so in the 'Patient Hero' category below.