February’s LGT Star of the Month
Congratulations to Joanne Gardner, Long Term Ventilation Paediatric Practice Development Nurse (LTV PDN) on Safari Ward at Queen Elizabeth Hospital, who has been chosen as our LGT Star of the Month for February 2024.
Long Term Ventilation refers to any child who, when medically stable, continues to require a mechanical aid for breathing.
Robert Cole, Head of Nursing Children and Young People, explained why he nominated her: “Jo was appointed into her new role as Long Term Ventilation Practice Development Nurse towards the end of last year. Since than her motivation, energy and professionalism in developing a level 2 critical care service for children with long term ventilation is outstanding.
"Under her leadership and clinical expertise the development of the service has been impressive. The service has grown from strength to strength and this is reflected in colleagues feeling supported and more confident.
"The impact on staff retention and recruitment should also not be underestimated by the establishment of the level 2 High Dependency Unit service. In addition, we've received external feedback from the South Thames Retrieval Service which praised the high quality of care our patients receive.
"We have a more coordinated and efficient transfer of children who "step down" from the Paediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) in tertiary centres so that care can be delivered closer to home. The knock-on effect is that this frees up capacity in the local PICU for other sick children, reducing the need for these children to be transferred some distance to another PICU which has capacity.
"We have received a lot of positive feedback from parents. One stands out: it talks about the skill and compassion Jo displayed in end-of-life care during the final days of one of the Long Term Ventilation children's lives. Sadly, the patient died with his family by his side; the family felt supported and was ready to let go at that final hour.
"In summary, Jo is a credit to the profession and LGT in her knowledge, skills and experience which are clearly making a difference, and she is respected by the multi-disciplinary team. She is a worthy winner for LGT Star of the Month.”
Robert Cole and Hannah Lawrence, Matron for Children and Young People services, congratulated Jo and presented her with her certificate, a £100 voucher from the Trust, and a fruit basket donated by Hasan Er, who runs the fruit stall at Queen Elizabeth hospital.
A shocked Jo said: “It was an honour to find out I had won the LGT Star of the Month Award, for something I am very passionate about. This role has been created along with the Level 2 Respiratory High Dependency Unit and being part of this exciting new service for children and their families and has been very rewarding.
“I am very proud of the entire Children and Young People team, and the Paediatric Emergency Department, for taking on new challenges and learning new skills while delivering excellent care despite the winter pressures. Thank you for the support; we have all grown in our knowledge and skills to provide the best possible care for our patients, and hearing the wonderful feedback from families is extremely heart-warming.”
Kieron Hudson, Account Manager, ISS Facilities who chaired this month’s judging panel commented : “Jo's nomination clearly shows that she is dedicated to her job and has a great deal of care and passion for her patients and their families. She supports her colleagues and giving them more confidence, providing training, and assisting in recruitment and retention.”