October’s Employee of the Month
Congratulations to Erjona, Occupational Therapist who has been chosen as our Employee of the Month for October.
Sue Hyde, Occupational Therapist explained why she nominated her: “Erjona has only been qualified for just over a year. She took the initiative to address a patient’s delirium, as she could see how distressing it was for the patient and her husband. Her intervention had a positive impact enabling the patient to be discharged home whilst empowering her husband."
While out walking on holiday with her husband, the patient fell and fractured their hip. The patients journey following hip surgery, was complicated by an acute delerium, so her husband visited up to four times a day, to support his wife.
Erjona reviewed NICE guidelines which highlighted the importance of orientation and consistency within therapy sessions. She got to know the patient and her husband well. Erjona worked with him to create a visual storyboard for him and his wife. The "My story" illustrated the reason for her hospital admission, progress so far, who was caring for her and focused on the discharge plan. It included pictures of the hip and the type of surgery she’d had and details of the places they visited on holiday; Erjona even Googled images of the places visited as visual prompts.
Each day Erjona’s storyboard was shared with the patient, up to four times a day, when her husband visited and in therapy sessions. The repetition of "My Story" reduced the patient’s anxiety, distress and agitation, and she was a lot more settled on the ward environment. Often in an acute hospital therapists focus on the physical aspect of the injury. But Erjona took a holistic approach, taking the time to create a visual storyboard which was effective in supporting rehabilitation.
She also spoke with the dementia nurse, who provided a fidget blanket to help with distraction. Most importantly Erjona enabled the husband to engage with his wife at a difficult and distressing time.
Sue Hyde says: “Erjona really went above and beyond for her patient and is an asset to the Occupational Therapy team and our Trust. In a busy and challenging environment, she provided high quality of care, and the patient’s husband was very grateful for all Erjona's hard work.”
Emma Tilley, Head of Adult Occupational Therapy (cross site) and Nicola Pigott, Occupational Therapist congratulated Erjona and presented her with an Employee of the Month certificate, and a fruit basket donated by Hasan Er who runs the fruit stall at Queen Elizabeth Hospital.
A surprised Erjona said: “I feel ever so grateful to be a part of our Trust and to be given the chance to expedite quality patient care. The multi-disciplinary team are amazing, and I have never felt as supported, appreciated and honoured for this award. I know as a Trust we all deserve it! The Occupational Therapy team are phenomenal, and I am pleased to be upholding our values as an OT and as a team advocating the best future for our patients.”
Emma Tilley added: “It is brilliant that another member of our Occupational Therapy team has won the Employee of the Month Award. It was lovely to read how patient-centred Erjona’s intervention was and how far she went to support her patient and her family.“
Maren Marshall, Facilities Manager, Vinci Facilities, who helped chair this month’s judging panel commented: “Congratulations to Erjona! Her nomination stood out as the clear winner for the Employee of the Month. What an amazing and compassionate person she is.”