Congratulations to Lead Nurse for Paediatric Oncology, Rachel Wilkinson, who is our latest peer-to-peer Star Award winner. She was nominated by Paediatric Specialist Nurse, Joanne Ineson, and the nomination reads:
"Rachel leads the local care for the children living with cancer in our area of Calderdale and Huddersfield, working in close partnership with the Leeds Paediatric Oncology Teams.
"CHFT is a Paediatric Oncology Shared Care Unit (POSCU) and it is the responsibility of the Trust to uphold a level of service and development in order for us to continue to maintain this POSCU status. Rachel is a key part of this continued responsibility alongside Deputy Nurse, Marie Beeson, and others within the paediatric, medical, and pharmacy teams.
"Rachel works unbelievably hard, and has the patient, family and the service at the heart of all her decisions and actions. Working within our community, Rachel supports the education of our community nursing team as well as having good communication, training plans and links with the inpatient paediatric area. Rachel is the driving force for the service and without her dedication, passion and hard work we would not have had the good professional links with the relevant regional and national information for Paediatric Cancer care.
"Her ability to communicate between professionals, parents, carers and families, inpatient areas at Calderdale and Huddersfield as well as the Leeds team which includes a full multi-disciplinary team (MDT) is amazing. Her constant thought and dedication to this role is just unbelievable.
"Rachel has sought opportunities to increase team education as well implementing and raising awareness of challenges to improve the direct care that the children and families receive when being an inpatient in our paediatric ward. This is from an educational as well as an experience point of view.
"Her understanding and empathy shines through for all the families and children, no matter what stage of care they are at. Whether that is diagnosis and being new to a new world that no parent would ever want to face, or at the end of a child's life through supporting family and other professionals working alongside the Leeds Oncology Service, to supporting choice in providing quality end of life care at home.
"Rachel is very flexible and adaptable, she will strive to meet new families as well as patients whom she knows to be dealing with the challenges that cancer diagnosis and treatment poses. She will visit families in Leeds, she is a very regular face of support for the families and children in our inpatient areas as well as directly supporting ward staff caring directly for children who are inpatients with education and improving their educational opportunities.
"We are immensely proud of how Rachel has directed, developed and grown the Paediatric Oncology Service at CHFT."