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Two nurses and a midwife from Kettering General Hospital have received DAISY Awards for the outstanding, reassuring, and supportive care they have provided.

Midwife Kadie Bird, Macmillan Breast Care Nurse Specialist, Sophie Ferry, and Emergency Department Nurse, Jason King, have all won the award after being nominated by patients or their families.

The DAISY Awards are an international recognition programme that honours and celebrates the exceptional care that many nurses and midwives provide every day.

Emergency Department nurse Jason King was nominated by the Rowland family, from London, after their mother Joan was admitted to KGH with a bleed to the brain in March.

Part of the nomination reads:

“Jason went the extra mile in explaining her condition and prognosis to us (her three children plus her partner) and prepared us for end-of-life care. He explained the process and made sure she was comfortable, dignified, and pain-free at every step. He worked hard to make sure that our wishes were respected and that she was free from further aggressive interventions. He treated us, and my mum, with the utmost kindness and care and made sure we were all looked after. His efforts made an unbearable situation bearable and in a haze of grief and upset, he was a beacon of kindness. I'd also like to commend the compassion and care of the whole A&E majors’ department. The care we received from KGH will not be forgotten.”

Kadie was nominated by Keira Swan-McCay from Corby after she went into labour in June last year.

Part of her nomination for Kadie said: 

“I first met Kadie on my second night in hospital. This was my second night of being awake for 30 hours. The compassion she has is a breath of fresh air. I mentioned how much pain I was in and she spoke to many people and went above and beyond. She even ran me a bath on labour ward to help my pain. After what felt like a year of contractions and being awake for a lifetime, she quickly and promptly helped me while I was in a bad situation. She got me the help I needed and I believe she saved me and my baby from her actions that third night. I’ll be forever grateful to Kadie and a few others who helped me and my daughter into this world.”

Macmillan Breast Care Nurse Specialist Sophie Ferry was nominated by Shannon Cooper, from Wellingborough, for the care she delivered to her mother, Maria, between 2017 and her death in February this year. Maria had been treated for breast cancer and then secondary breast cancer.

 

Part of her nomination reads: “Sophie was by her side throughout, she was not only there for my mum but for mums’ family too and especially mum and granddaughter, Skyla. Sophie was just outstanding. Although mum was an inpatient Sophie visited every day to make sure she was OK. She is honestly the most caring and kind person I have ever come across and she should be immensely proud of the difference she makes to others.”

Each winner receives a certificate, a DAISY pin badge and “Healer’s Touch” sculpture.

Deputy Chief Nurse Wayne Hurst said: “Once again it is amazing to read some of the touching and heart-warming nominations that our nurses and midwives have received from grateful patients and family members.

“Jason’s care for Joan and her family was clearly exceptional, sensitive and kind. Kadie helped a mother-to-be through a very difficult and exhausting labour and Sophie supported a patient and her family through the most difficult of times.

“They all deserve the recognition for outstanding care that a DAISY Award brings.”

DAISY Awards were first launched in America in 1999 following the death of a patient Patrick J Barnes who had received outstanding care for a Diseases Attacking the Immune SYstem, (DAISY).

They are now operated in hospitals across the UK as an internationally recognised achievement.

Since the DAISY Awards were launched at KGH in October 2020 there have been 389 Nominations for Nurses/Midwives and 44 winners.

Anyone who has received outstanding care can nominate a member of KGH staff for a DAISY award.