Cavell Star Award goes to Kettering special care baby unit

Kettering General Hospital's special care baby unit has won an award for its exceptional teamworking.

The unit, which employs 45 staff and looks after around 450 ill and premature babies each year, has won a Cavell Star Award after being nominated by student nurse Deborah Emerton. Deborah from Corby, who is just coming to the end of three years of nurse training, has spent the last two months working at the SCBU.

She says: "During my training through the University of Northampton I became aware of the Cavell Nurses' Trust – a charity that performs a number of functions including supporting nurses, midwives and healthcare assistants at difficult times in their lives and having an award scheme which rewards excellence in practice.

"Back in May the SCBU at Kettering was exceptionally busy and I was incredibly impressed by how all of the members of the team worked together to ensure all the babies and their families got the support and care they needed.

"If a shift was short of staff for some reason it was amazing to see how people would step-up and volunteer to cover. The team spirit you could see was just fantastic and the care they delivered was excellent.

"Normally the Cavell Nurses' Trust rewards individual's practice but when I described why I wanted the SCBU to have an award they agreed."

Paul Steiner is communications manager with the Cavell Nurses' Trust, an organisation set up after the First World War in memory of Edith Cavell, an English nurse who saved the lives of many soldiers. He says: "Well done to the SCBU team on winning the Cavell Star Award.

"At Cavell Nurses' Trust we know how important it is for nursing professionals to be recognised for going above and beyond for their patients, especially being nominated by their colleagues.

"Nursing is an emotionally demanding profession and teamwork is everything so we were delighted to give the award to Deborah to present to the team."

Neonatal Unit Lead Sister Jan Ford says: "Thank you so much to Deborah and the Cavell Nurses' Trust for this award, it was a very pleasant surprise.

"It was lovely that Deborah was so impressed by the care we provide for our vulnerable and unique patients and their families that she nominated us for this award. It is always rewarding to have good practice recognised and it motivates us all to do our best."