Praise for NHS staff's extra mile

STAFF from NHS Warrington and Warrington Community Services Unit have been congratulated for their dedication and commitment to providing NHS services throughout the severe weather.
Determined to continue to deliver services to patients, staff pulled together during the big freeze.
Catheter specialist nurses Sharon Bannister and Irene Rudd went the “extra mile” making visits to patients on foot trekking through the snow and many of their colleagues did the same.
Sharon said: “Battling through the snow was an unusual way for us to go about our daily activities and home visits to patients. The conditions were freezing but we felt that all our patients were a priority and so persevered to ensure all patients received the treatment they required.”
Neighbourhood clinic supervisor Carole Gannon, also put on her walking boots, completing the three mile walk to Woolston Clinic on three separate days.
She said: “I watched the sun come up every day that I walked to work. To enable me to arrive for 8.30am I had to leave home at 7.15am – I certainly was the first on many occasions to make footprints in the snow!”
GP liaison Sister Karen Evans and some of her colleagues could not get to Woolston clinic so instead assisted Orford based District Nurses in the treatment of patients. Many staff who could not get to their own bases showed resourcefulness by getting to the local base nearest to them.
Other staff members and even a patient’s relative drove in hazardous conditions using their 4×4 vehicles to help drive community nurses to urgent patient appointments.
Head of finance at NHS Warrington, Neville Balchin, used his 4×4 vehicle to aid frontline colleagues.
He commented: “Although the weather conditions have resulted in services not running as smoothly as usual we wanted to ensure that as many patients as possible received the services and treatment they required, especially patients who live in isolated areas. Working together all staff showed that we could make a difference and we even helped each other out when our cars got stuck in the snow.”
Cheryl West, District Nurse co-ordinator for NHS Warrington thanked staff for their efforts throughout the extreme weather.
“Great team work across the service enabled us to provide a continued high standard of care to patients across Warrington,” she said.
Staff member Nora Peake of the learning and development team stayed in an office without heating to man the telephones.