Shining star award

Congratulations to Rebecca (Becky) Russell, Betty Rea and Georgia Sutton who have been selected as our Shining Stars for September.

Becky from the Fens and Brecks Community Nursing Team was selected as one of our Shining Star winners for her exceptional compassion, professionalism, and commitment to patient-centred care. Following heartfelt feedback from a family she supported during end-of-life care, Becky was recognised for her kindness, attention to detail, and thorough approach. She identified that the patient was experiencing pain and proactively arranged a medication review with the consultant, ensuring the patient remained comfortable and was able to pass away peacefully at home. Her actions provided reassurance and reduced stress for the family at an incredibly difficult time. Becky consistently goes above and beyond, making a meaningful difference to the patients and families she supports.

Betty Rea and Georgia Sutton from the South Norfolk Mental Health Support Team were chosen also as winners following a nomination by a family for their outstanding assessment, intervention, and family-centred support. The nomination highlighted Betty and Georgia’s commitment to understanding a young person with complex needs beyond their initial presentation. During the assessment phase, significant care was taken to build a full understanding of the young person's experiences, listen to parental concerns, and develop an accurate formulation of their needs. This thorough approach led to a tailored and effective intervention plan.

Throughout the intervention, the family received practical, evidence-based strategies to support anxiety management, emotional regulation, communication, problem-solving, sleep, and coping with change and uncertainty. The support empowered the parents with skills and confidence to better understand and respond to their child's needs, resulting in meaningful and sustained progress.

Betty and Georgia were praised for their professionalism, flexibility, empathy, and ability to build strong relationships with the family. The family expressed sincere gratitude for the difference made and felt it was important that the team's exceptional work was formally recognised and celebrated. The Shining Star award is a monthly award decided by the executive team which recognises individuals who exemplify our values through their commitment to delivering outstanding care, support and service to patients and colleagues.

Other September nominees include:

• Amy Bilham - UCR Nursing (West)
• Bethan Farrer - Health Visiting - Peacock Centre, Cambridge
• Hannah Adams - Phoenix Team Norfolk
• iCaSH Norfolk - King's Lynn and Norwich teams
• Integrated Care Team
• Jetta Judge - Cambridgeshire Speech and Language Therapy
• Katie Egle and Natasha Colman - Dereham Community Nurse Team
• Leigh Shorting - Peripatetic Admin West
• Nicola Robinson - Norfolk and Waveney Healthy Child Service
• Sarah Bright - Urgent Community Response Team - North Locality
• Sarah Mugford - 0 to 9 Practice Lead Biggleswade and Shefford
• Sophia Dagless - Priscilla Bacon Lodge Inpatient Unit/North Place

If someone like Becky, Betty or Georgia has inspired you, supported you, or made your experience better, help us recognise them. Simply complete our short nomination form in 150 words or fewer, linking your nomination to our organisational values where possible.

Your nomination helps us recognise and celebrate the individuals who go above and beyond every day to make a positive difference for our patients, carers and colleagues.

Congratulations to Edwina, from our Triage Service and Grant, a volunteer from Norwich Place, who have been selected as our Shining Stars for July.

We are pleased to announce that Edwina, from our Triage Service, has been selected as one of our Shining Stars for August.

Edwin a has been nominated for exemplifying outstanding nursing professionalism and the Trust's core values during an exceptionally distressing situation. After receiving a call from a patient's relative following a tragic suicide, she demonstrated remarkable compassion, empathy and emotional resilience.

Despite the acute crisis, Edwina remained calm and supportive, offering reassurance and comfort to profoundly distressed family members. Her ability to provide sensitive, family centred care under immense emotional pressure reflects the very best of nursing.  

Going beyond her role, she took proactive steps to coordinate an emergency service response under highly unusual and demanding circumstances. Her clinical judgement, kindness and unwavering commitment ensured the family received timely support when they needed it most.

Edwina's actions embody exceptional professionalism, humanity and dedication. We are proud to recognise her as one of our Shining Stars for August.

We are also delighted to announce that Grant, a volunteer from Norwich Place, has been selected as our second Shining Star for August.

Grant has been nominated by three colleagues for his reliability, hard work and the invaluable contribution he makes every week. Without fail, he attends the office every Wednesday to organise and put away stock, a significant task that provides essential support and makes a real difference to the team. His attention to detail and pride in his work are evident in the stockroom, which is always left tidy, organised and well maintained. Staff frequently comment on the noticeable impact of his efforts.

Alongside his exceptional work ethic, Grant is consistently friendly, approachable and positive. His can-do attitude, kindness and willingness to help wherever needed make him a trusted and much valued member of the team. His dedication does not go unnoticed, and his colleagues are truly grateful for everything he does.

Grant's professionalism, reliability and commitment embody the spirit of the Shining Star Award, and we are proud to recognise him as one of our August winners.

Other August nominees include:

Congratulations to Joanne Taylor (known as Jo) from the Norwich Place community nursing team, who has been selected as our Shining Star for July.

Jo was nominated for her exceptional work supporting a patient with highly complex needs, coordinating care across a range of services to ensure both physical and mental health needs were met.

Through her dedication, advocacy and collaborative approach, Jo helped build a trusting relationship that enabled the patient to engage positively with services, attend appointments, and follow their care plan. This involved frequently going above and beyond the requirements of her role.

The commitment and dedication demonstrated by Jo reflect our organisational values and highlights the meaningful impact that compassionate care can have on patient's wellbeing and recovery.

The Shining Star award is a monthly award decided by the executive team which recognises individuals who exemplify our values through their commitment to delivering outstanding care, support and service to patients and colleagues.

If someone like Jo has inspired you, supported you, or made your experience better, help us recognise them. Simply complete our short nomination form in 150 words or fewer.

Your nomination helps us recognise and celebrate the individuals who go above and beyond every day to make a positive difference for our patients, carers and colleagues.

Congratulations to Stacey Quirke and Nikki Grant from the Family Nurse Partnership in Cambridgeshire and Peterborough who have been selected as our Shining Stars for June.

The Shining Star award is a monthly award decided by the executive team which recognises the commitment and dedication of staff members who give a service that is over and above what is expected of them in order to make a difference to patients, visitors and/or their colleagues.

Stacey and Nikki have been recognised as Shining Star Award winners following a heartfelt nomination from a teenage service user who describes them as exceptional family nurses and genuinely wonderful people. They were praised for their kindness, patience, and the way they consistently made both mother and baby feel valued and supported during an incredibly challenging period involving complex family circumstances. Stacey and Nikki became trusted advocates and a vital part of the service user’s support network. They provided unwavering emotional support, guidance with housing, and compassionate assistance through lots of difficult meetings. Their consistent, non-judgemental approach helped the service user recognise her own strengths, build confidence, and reflect on her experiences. As a result of their dedication and care, both mother and baby are now in a far more positive place, with the patient crediting the service as life-changing and instrumental in her journey to becoming the parent she is today. 

The duo will receive a special ‘Shining Star’ certificate and voucher from a member of the executive team.

Other nominees for June:

Amanda Owen - Inpatient services, Norfolk
Karen Poloka - 0-19 HCP Team Cambridgeshire
Sarah Sheppard - Infant Feeding Team - North Locality
Sharna Bird - Urgent Community Response Team South
Emma Lewin - Heart failure North
Sarah Sutcliffe - Heart Failure Central
Amanda Maylor - Children's Occupational Therapy, Cambridgeshire
Keely Burgess - DynamicHealth Huntingdon
Peterborough 0-19 Healthy Child Programme
Catherine Schunmann - iCaSH, Rowan House, Norfolk
Neave Wilkinson - Ogden Court, Community Beds and Systems Operations
Lisa Emerson - Healthy Child Service, East of England Community Health and Care
Kevin Boyle - MSK Doddington hospital
Karin Bibby - Family Nurse Partnership, Norfolk CYP Health Service
Nicola Dobson - Community Palliative Care Team Pricilla Bacon Lodge Norwich
Claire Wiseman - IBCLC South Norfolk Assistant Practitioner Infant Feeding Lactation Consultant
Susannah Cousins - Dietetics
Oliver Barrett - UCR Care West
Rebecca Wallace - Inpatient services
Sherri Tredray - Dental Healthcare - Suffolk Nash House Ipswich
Rachelle Garcia - Operations Manager, System Operations, Community Beds
Anna Bondare and the Clinical Systems team - Clinical Systems Team
Liezl Alfeldi - Children's Speech and Language Therapy, Cambridge, Peacock Centre
Donna Todd - Ketts CN&T
Helen Hawkins - UCR

Congratulations to our very first Shining Star

Congratulations to Aneta Skorodzillo, who is based at Foxley Ward at Dereham Hospital and has been selected as our very first Shining Star for East of England Community Health and Care NHS Trust.

Aneta was selected from some incredible nominations, her nomination represented a true Shining Star because she inspired and empowered a colleague to rediscover their professional potential, providing unwavering encouragement and guidance on their journey from clinical support worker to registered nurse.

Aneta was nominated by Ana-Maria Nacu, who said; "She saw potential in me long before I could see it in myself and gave me the confidence to become the nurse I am today."

Through her honesty, compassion, and steadfast belief in others, Aneta consistently helps people overcome self-doubt and achieve their goals. She invests her time and energy into developing those around her, demonstrating outstanding leadership.

Other nominees for May:

• Kerry Pueschel - Downham Market and Swaffham Community Therapy Team
• Lorna Lacey - Adult Community Nutrition and Dietetics, Bedfordshire, and Luton
• Ericia Davies - South Norfolk - Beauchamp Community Nurses
• Cath Metcalfe and Chloe Skinner - UCR Therapy West, Norfolk
• Mill Lodge Staffing Team - Norfolk & Waveney Children and Young People's Services
• Louise Nicholson - North Urgent Community Response Team
• Joanne Taylor - East Norwich Neighbourhood
• Sorrel Read - Community Specialist Palliative Care
• Tracy Taylor and Wendy Lewis - Priscilla Bacon Lodge, Norwich
• Gemma Holland, Amy Bilham and Gemma Rudd - UCR West
• Bridie Gray, Caitlin Daniels, Tiff Chandler, Sarah Barber - North Place - NN1 Community Nursing Team
• Samantha Bray - Starfish Nurse-Led Medication Pathway and Starfish Therapeutic Pathway
• Rowan Peckham - 0-19 Team and Oak Tree, Huntingdon
• Infant Advisors - Joanna Restall, Genevieve Hughes, Charlotte Thulborn, Kelly Akers, Sarah Sheppard, and Anita Ribbons - Infant feeding Team - HCP, Children's Directorate
• June Greenway - Epilepsy Team, Norfolk
• Hamza Haji - Finance Team
• Kate Pridham - Home First Hub West
• Soham HCP staff - Healthy Child Programme - South Cambridgeshire
• Mohammed Bari - Insight and Intelligence
• Michelle Marshall - NHSP/ Luton Children's/ L&D Daisy Ward