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Chairman's Award

WINNER: Karen Gardner           

The chairman’s award goes to a very special person who received a number of nominations for her dedication and hard work this year.  Caring for our staff is at the top of our agenda and Karen Gardner is a fantastic example of the actions we can take to demonstrate to our staff that we do care.

Over the past 12 months, Karen has been instrumental in the recruitment, training and implementation of over 50 Emergency Care Clinical Managers to improve leadership across the organisation.  Always with good humour and a smile on her face, Karen has single handed prepared everything from assessment materials to training courses, that she then went on to deliver, whilst also juggling the demands of changing roles and staff shortages. 

As a result, we are now far better supporting our staff with their welfare, their development and ultimately, their patient care, which she continues to drive forward. ECCMs themselves have reported how impressed they were with the training and the difference it has had to their outlook.

Karen was nominated in particular by a colleague who she supported through what she describes as ‘arguably the most difficult time of her life’.  She said, ‘Karen has a personal touch and it goes a long way.  I simply would not have been at work without her support.”

In her own words, Yvonne Ormston says of Karen, “It is tremendously comforting to know that we are putting in the systems and processes to support employee welfare, but most importantly that we are giving our staff the skills and confidence to enable them, in turn, to provide the much needed support to our staff on the frontline.”