Boston hospital worker shortlisted for compassion and respect award speaks of what it means to be put forward for honour

Lorna Revell, 24, of Boston, is one of four in the running for the Chair’s Compassion and Respect Award.

This aims to celebrate ‘an individual or team that shows a genuine concern and compassion for others, is interested in others and in helping to meet their needs and providing the best possible quality of care’, as ULHT puts it.

Lorna is a deputy sister on the Emergency Admissions Unit at Boston’s Pilgrim Hospital. It was an anonymous colleague who put her forward for a staff award.

Lorna said she was ‘overwhelmed’ just to be nominated, never mind being shortlisted.

She said she was ‘very proud’ to work for ULHT and put into practice the values of compassion and respect.

“Compassion and respect are two of ULHT’s five core values (along with patient-centred, safety, and excellence),” she said. “To me, compassion is about caring for our patients and their loved ones, showing empathy and being aware of the feelings patients are experiencing. It is about remembering they are anxious and scared.

“Being a nurse is a very trusted profession, patients rely on you when they are at their most vulnerable, both emotionally and medically. We want patients to feel well cared for when they come to hospital and have a positive experience.”

Respect she summed up as treating patients with dignity, having high regard for their wishes, and acting as an advocate for them.

Lorna began her career in nursing in 2018 after graduating from the University of Lincoln (with first class honours) as a registered adult nurse.

The coronavirus pandemic has been a ‘difficult’ time, she said – more patients, sicker patients, and challenging working conditions never experienced before.

She said during this time, though, she has had the privilege to watch colleagues across numerous departments ‘continuously go above and beyond’ in terms of their care, and that, despite all the pressures on staff, ‘compassion and respect has been maintained’.

“I hope I was able to provide some comfort to the patients and their families I cared for during the pandemic,” she added.

The ULHT staff awards are due to be held in September.