Ben Holt and Gena Lundqvist- two healthcare support workers from local NHS Trust, Southern Health - have been awarded a coveted national ‘Chief Nursing Officer Award’ for healthcare support workers. Both Ben and Gena, who work at Bluebird House, one of the Trust’s mental health inpatient hospitals, were nominated for their outstanding work caring for the young people who are residents at Bluebird House.
Annette Farrell, Health Care Support Worker Programme Lead from NHS England (Southeast), presented the award to Ben and Gena on behalf of NHS England’s Chief Nurse, Ruth May.
Presenting the award, Annette said: “The people chosen for this award demonstrate the great NHS values of kindness and compassion. They are supportive to their teams, great role models and exceptional support workers for our patients. Across Southeast England, and between Healthcare Support Workers and Midwife Support Workers, there’s only been 50 award nominations out of around a total of 21,000 support workers – and Southern Health have received three of these so far.”
and Annette Farrell
Southern Health’s most senior nurse, Paula Hull commented: “Receiving such a prestigious award from the NHS’ Chief Nurse is really something for both Gena and Ben to be proud of. I am in awe of them both and personally want to say a huge thank you on behalf of the Trust and all of the patients that you have to help care for.”
Heather Nemec, Nurse Mental Health Practitioner, who nominated Ben and Gena, added: “Ben is a kind, caring and enthusiastic member of the team who goes out of his way daily to make others feel safe, happy, and cared for. Whether happy, sad, or angry, the young people respond so well to Ben’s approach. He can de-escalate any situation with his smile, caring nature, and fantastic sense of humour.”
“Gena goes above and beyond her role as a health care support worker on every shift that she works. She continues to provide our young people with excellent care on a day-to-day basis. Her work is outstanding, and she has demonstrated how committed she is to her role at Bluebird House.”
On receiving the award, Ben said: “It’s always really nice for our hard work to be recognised, especially with an award such as this - thank you to our team for nominating us both.”
The award comes from Ruth May, Chief Nursing Officer for NHS England and recognises the valuable contribution and role that all support workers make to the NHS.