Hospital thanks star nurse

A King’s Mill nurse has won an award for going beyond the call of duty to train staff on a new, improved patients observation system.

Registered nurse Kirsti Tucker (44), of Huthwaite, normally works on the respiratory medicine ward but was seconded for three months to help train staff on the VitalPAC system,

It replaces the paper charts that hang on the end of a patients’ bed by enabling clinicians to record information about a patient’s condition on handheld iPod devices for instant analysis.

Morgan Thanigasalam, VitalPAC Project Manager nominated Kirsti for the Star of the Month Award

He said: “Kirsti has been a true star with her willingness to go out of her way to ensure that staff are as supported as possible.

“She has stayed late and come in as early as 5am when on a day shift to train staff who would otherwise miss out.

“Kirsti has even gone home and come back in the evening to train a member of night staff who she was concerned we would miss otherwise.

“Never too busy to answer a query, she has shown energy and enthusiasm above and beyond expectation which has contributed greatly to the success of the VitalPAC rollout.”

Kirsti said she was surprised to be nominated for, and even more surprised to have won the award.

“For me, I was just doing my job anyway,” she said.

“Coming in early and leaving late is just what you do as part of a team.

“This is all about patient safety because the system is used to assess their well-being and it was important to offer flexibility in the training with people working different shifts.”

Once uploaded from the device, information can be automatically analysed, automatically communicated and remotely accessed by clinicians wherever they may be.

Charts are drawn up by the programme which clinicians can view on iPad-style devices that doctors use on their ward rounds and time is saved trying to locate and analyse paperwork.

The appropriate doctor will be made aware of any concerns from unusual readings by an alert on their own handheld device and actions can then be swiftly taken to ensure the patient is getting the treatment needed - and potentially save lives.