Thank You Event 2022: Making Stuff Better - Winner
Every year we celebrate our amazing staff and their achievements at our pop-up Thank You ceremony. Board members will pop into video meetings to surprise colleagues and present them with a hamper for being shining examples of our magnificent staff behaviours.
Our Making Stuff Better award was won by Sarah McDermott, Palliative and End of Life Care Lead.
Making Stuff Better - Winner
The winner of the Making Stuff Better award is Sarah McDermott, Palliative and End of Life Care Lead. Sarah has been pivotal in the development and implementation of new teams to the Trust. She manages three teams for Leeds Community Healthcare (LCH).
She leads the work of the Palliative Care Leads in all neighbourhoods across the city to deliver training to staff who support with palliative care, the End of Life Care in Care Homes Facilitators team who support with education and training of nursing home staff to ensure high quality end of life care, she also leads the development of the Community Cancer Support Service. The service is one of the first community cancer teams in the UK and LCH’s first collaboration with Macmillan Cancer Support. It offers a Cancer Care Review and personalised care planning for patients early in their diagnosis and through their journey. With Sarah’s support, encouragement and guidance, the service has been receiving excellent feedback from patients and healthcare professionals alike.
Sarah was nominated by Joan Nelson, Palliative Care Leads, Quality Leads, End of Life Care Home Facilitators and the Cancer Support Team.
Joan said, “Sarah is very clear about the objectives and goals for each service and always maintains an oversight of all of the services and their unique contribution to the healthcare of patients within the community. She has led on the development of new guidelines and policies, and through their implementation the healthcare of patients is enhanced, enabling the right care at the right time by the right person.
“Sarah is an exceptional member of LCH and these services would not be here without her enthusiasm and vision for change and equity for our service users. Sarah is an excellent leader who has continuously shown strong, supportive leadership in periods of immense change and challenge. She has a calming, steadying, encouraging influence on the teams she manages and helps the teams to navigate the unique challenges that they each face. She leads effectively with a sense of humour, openness and with respect for others. She role models what it means to be both a Clinical and an Operational Service Manager in LCH.”
Sarah was surprised by Sam Prince, Executive Director of Operations, and Laura Smith, Director of Workforce.
Laura said “What stood out for me is that you make stuff better not just for the patients and communities we serve, not just across organisational partners, but for your team. With vision and compassion that is just truly outstanding and incredible. It’s clear you’ve been doing it ever since you joined the organisation and in particular during these past two unusual years. I’m in awe, what a nomination and what a person, congratulations and thank you.”
Sarah replied, “I work with a phenomenal group of people, my role is very much supporting everyone else to do what they do every day. My team has been instrumental in moving things forward and I have respect and admiration for all of them, thank you all so much.”
