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The outstanding work and achievements of staff at Chase Farm Hospital and group clinical services have been celebrated at the last site Royal Free London (RFL) Oscars awards.
Deborah welcomed everyone to the event, and reflected on the achievements and contributions made over the past year: “We are here today to mark the inspiring work and acts of kindness that make a huge difference to the lives of our patients,” she said. "It's so inspiring to hear all the stories of how you are making a difference to our patients and each other.
"We couldn’t run these awards without the generosity of the Royal Free Charity, and their sponsorship. Thank you to the charity for making our annual awards possible."
All the winners will now be invited to the group wide RFL Oscars at the Emirates Stadium on Thursday 18 July, along with winners from other sites, who will have a chance to win the group prize from their categories.
This year we have 14 awards categories, chosen in line with our governing objectives.
Many of the winners and runners up are contributing to the trust's new clinical strategy, which you can learn more about now.
Meet our Chase Farm Hospital and group clinical services winners and runners up.
Chairman’s leadership award
Winner: Louise Gillard, senior matron.
Runner up: Liz Pickering, senior operations manager, Finchley Memorial Hospital Community Diagnostic Centre.
Louise is described as an exceptional leader, always ensuring that her division is performing above standards by giving her time and being actively involved with her colleagues’ concerns.
Since joining the hospital, she has worked tirelessly to reduce her team’s vacancy rate and improve staff morale. She is a role model for many, motivating her colleagues to do their best and provide exceptional care for our patients.
Non-clinical team of the year
Winner: Outpatients Appointment Centre (OAC) and central admissions
Runner up: The urgent treatment centre reception team.
This award was given to an entire service whose teams have all received individual nominations from colleagues in recognition of their outstanding services.
OAC and central admissions play an integral role, leading the text reminder service, booking 2,000 pre-operative appointments a month, 350 operating lists a week across theatres and endoscopy suites, supporting outpatient departments with clinic templates, managing cancellations while keeping patients informed, and helping clinical teams to triage referrals.
One colleague said: “We couldn’t be prouder of how this large department works seamlessly together.”
Outstanding contribution to research award
Winner: Dr Conrad Von Stempel.
Unfortunately Dr Conrad Von Stempel's was unable to attend. Nitin Palmer collected the award on his behalf
Dr Conrad Von Stempel is a consultant interventional radiologist who works at the Royal Free Hospital. He is currently undertaking a PhD whist continuing his clinical work, and his research dynamism and enthusiasm not only benefits patients but serves as an exemplar to others working in radiology.
His PhD uses MRI and ultrasound to non-invasively measure blood flow within patients with vascular disease and measure how effective treatments are. But his passion for research and interests are not confined to his PhD. He is also actively involved in neuroendocrine, prostate cancer, kidney stones and most recently minimally invasive treatment of massive pulmonary emboli.
Clinical team of the year
Winner: The interventional radiology uterine artery embolisation service.
Runner up: The Chase Farm Hospital endoscopy unit.
The interventional radiology uterine artery embolisation service provides an excellent service for patients undergoing procedures at Chase Farm Hospital. They work together to establish a high quality service for local patients, providing personalised care which has received many letters of appreciation and positive feedback.
They work closely with the women and children’s team to provide overnight admissions for patients, following their procedure, and have successfully reduced waiting times following the pandemic.
Royal Free Charity supporter of the year
Winner: The meet and greet volunteers.
Runners up: Patient partner volunteers and oncology volunteering team.
The meet and greet volunteers have made an exceptional contribution to the hospital. They always act with compassion and kindness and enjoy helping patients and staff alike.
They help people find their way to appointments and meetings at the hospital and always provide a happy and welcoming face to put patients and visitors at ease. One colleague said: “They are always so polite and happy to help. We would like to say a big thank you for such great support. It's a huge help to have their assistance, especially during busy periods."
Outstanding contribution to patient safety award
Winner: Chloe Goodman, operations manager, Finchley Memorial Hospital Community Diagnostic Centre.
Runner up: Juliet Inbajothi, lead nurse, Finchley Memorial Hospital Community Diagnostic Centre.
Chloe has been instrumental in creating and implementing the CDC adverse reaction to contrast standard operating procedure. Working with the RFL resus team, National Resus Council and Society of Radiographers, a new policy has been implemented where radiographers are first responders for patients who suffer adverse reactions. This has enabled patients to be seen seven days a week, 12 hours a day for contrast scanning.
The learning and development for the radiography team has been immense. Working with the NCL Radiology Academy, continual training has now been established and other NCL acute trusts have expressed an interest in implementing this improvement within their own units. This work has enhanced safety culture within the CDC and our winner has been instrumental in making this happen.
Volunteer of the year
Winners: Luna and Alfie, therapy dogs.
Our therapy dogs provide comfort and emotional support and their presence is especially valuable. Their unwavering enthusiasm and joyful spirit profoundly impact both patients and staff when visiting wards and clinics. Hospital visits can often be intimidating and stressful for patients, but their calming influence help alleviate anxiety and make a visit more enjoyable.
Living our values
Winner: Gina Montenegro, radiology administrative and clerical officer.
Runner up: Marie Gallagher, staff nurse, outpatients nursing department.
Unfortunately Gina was unable to attend. Nitin Palmer collected the award on her behalf.
Gina Montenegro is the first point of contact for patients when they visit the department and is described as 'absolutely shining' in her demonstration of the trust’s world class care values. She clearly directs patients to the appropriate waiting area, sending them off with a big smile. If patients are waiting after their appointment for transport she will make sure they are comfortable and offered refreshments.
One of Gina's colleagues wrote: ‘She is a true asset to our department and the trust. Even sitting writing this I can hear her happy interactions with the patients, and you can feel the positivity that this brings.’
Quality improvement and efficiency
Winner: Li Saw, principal pharmacist, pharmacy department.
Runner up: Saima Loonat, assistant service manager, cellular pathology.
In response to a speaking up concern and results from a culture survey, principal pharmacist Li Shaw delivered a programme to make positive cultural changes across her department leading to an improvement in their 2023 annual staff survey results.
She undertook this role in addition to all her day to day duties and proactively shared the results and learning with colleagues across the trust.
Clinician of the year
Winner: Brooke Reeve, emergency imaging manager, radiology.
Runner up: Sally Turner, lead sonographer, Finchley Memorial Hospital Community Diagnostic Centre.
Brooke has helped improve patient flow through our emergency departments. By working with external stakeholders and partners, she has successfully reduced turnaround times for radiological services, helping to reduce waiting times and accelerating diagnosis and treatment which is critical in emergency settings.
She has also been instrumental in creating robust standard operating procedures and business continuity plans, improving safety across the trust and ensuring that high standards of care are maintained consistently across all our sites. Alongside her main duties, she also leads the education and training of 40 radiography students ensuring they are equipped with the knowledge and skills necessary to excel in the NHS.
Non-clinical employee of the year
Winner: Saima Loonat, assistant service manager, cellular pathology.
Runners up: Anila Nair, ophthalmology service manager, Finchley Memorial Hospital Community Diagnostic Centre and Helena Kyriacou, care pathway coordinator.
Saima has consistently demonstrated a remarkable dedication to improving the experience of both patients and colleagues through her collaborative approach and unwavering commitment to excellence. She ensures the smooth running of the department and supported a new service improvement which has helped speed up consideration of cases and reduce the time for patients to get their results.
One of her colleagues said: “She is one of the most hard working, dedicated, reliable, smart and kind colleagues I’ve worked with in my 22 years in this department.”
Outstanding contribution to education award
Winner: Adam Goodchild, SAS doctor, cellular pathology.
Runner up: Hazel Wright; clinical practice educator; theatres, recovery and day surgery.
Unfortunately Adam was unable to attend. Jo Barnes collected the award on her behalf.
Adam has consistently demonstrated a remarkable dedication to teaching and mentoring our trainees in histopathology. Through his commitment to education, he has fostered a supportive learning environment within his department and empowered junior colleagues to excel in their roles and deliver high quality patient care.
He is also dedicated to improving his service, continuously identifying areas that can be changed and implementing innovative solutions to enhance quality and benefit patient outcomes.
Shining star award
Winners: Agneiszka Dudek, theatre support worker, and Roger Downey, healthcare assistant, day surgery unit.
Agneiszka is described as an ‘exceptional member’ of her team, regularly putting in over 20,000 steps during her shift. She ensures the department runs smoothly by supporting patient flow and keeping a close eye on stocks and supplies to ensure her colleagues don’t need to look for things in a hurry.
She always goes the extra mile for staff and patients alike and demonstrates the trust’s values on a daily basis. One of her colleagues said: “Our department is lucky to have such a hard working and dedicated member of the team.”
Roger works tirelessly with care, kindness and compassion for his patients and colleagues. He is constantly behind the scenes supporting our Friends and Family Test, collecting as many responses as possible to help the service identify where it’s doing well and where it can make improvements.
One patient said: “He made me laugh and feel at ease during my time at Chase Farm Hospital. Throughout the whole time, I was laughing and the waiting room was full of love and joy, not just for myself but the other patients too. It was a very welcoming atmosphere.”
Celebrating diversity award
Winner: Andrea Hudgell-Davis, team leader, subject access and retrievals.
Runner up: Chanelle Lubrun, assistant operations manager, Outpatients Appointments Centre.
For the past three years, Andrea has been a champion mentor for the Project Choice programme. This is a specialist, NHS-based college which supports young adults with disabilities and/or autism to start their careers through mentoring, work experience and internships.
Our winner has supported a number of these interns within her department and her team have helped them take on responsibilities and tasks which they would never have been able to do before. She encouraged them to stretch themselves and following their internships they’ve graduated from the programme and have found employment in the NHS and other sectors.
