Jamelah presented with Patient Hero Award after becoming 'elder sister' to patient
A nurse on Royal Derby Hospital’s Ward 305 has received July’s Patient Hero Award for becoming “elder sister” to a teenage patient who spent more than 50 days in hospital.
Jamelah Arcenia, affectionately known as Jam by her colleagues, went above and beyond to provide care for Tejal Paliya who recovered from being critically ill to go on to sit her A-levels on the ward a year ahead of schedule.
Find out more about Tejal's story here >
During Tejal’s 39 day stay on Ward 305, Jam helped her wash her hair and plait her hair, changed her dressings and more.
Tejal’s nomination read: “While all the staff were extremely friendly and made me feel comfortable, Jam was like an elder sister to me.
“Even when she was assigned duty on the other side of the ward, she would come to say hi and plait my hair without me even asking her to. We would laugh and talk about so many things and a day before I was discharged she gave me a cushion, a box of my favourite chocolate and a card with a lovely message.
“Whenever she was around she would wink at me and make me feel at home. She is an extremely sweet and passionate nurse who definitely went well beyond a nurse’s job and she became my sister.”
Upon receiving the award, Jam said: “It’s overwhelming really. I’ve not been with the team here for very long and I certainly didn’t expect this. But this award isn’t just for me, it’s for the whole Ward 305 team, everyone here is so lovely and Tejal was such a great patient.”
Chief Nurse Cathy Winfield presented Jam with her award and had these kind words: “Jam’s actions demonstrate everything that’s important here at UHDB, and you really went above and beyond for Tejal. You should feel very proud of what you have done.”
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 Gavin Boyle
- 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.