Healthcare Assistant, Zara Hussain, is our latest Star Award winner for the help she recently gave a deaf patient who had come to the eye clinic at CRH.
Zara was nominated by Advanced Practitioner, Jonathan Drury, who described her as someone who gives their all every day.
Zara's nomination reads: "Zara is deaf and relies upon lip reading and non-verbal clues to help communicate. In a busy ophthalmology department this can be very difficult as it is often noisy.
"Recently, the tables turned, and we had a deaf patient come to the department with a cochlear implant and no British Sign Language Interpreter had been arranged.
"Without being prompted, Zara took it upon herself to follow the patient through her journey, provide support, encouragement and reassurance every step of the way whilst also ensuring the patient could understand what clinicians were saying.
"She was remarkable, we couldn't have completed the consultation without her help. The patient attended with her mother, who was so impressed with Zara, that she stopped behind at the end of the clinic to personally thank her for taking the time and showing such compassion to her daughter.
"Zara would never ask for thanks, but she absolutely deserves it!"
After receiving her award from Chief Executive, Brendan Brown, Zara said: "Our patients always come first. It's my job to look after them as part of our One Culture of Care. I always like to have an eye on all of our patients and their families in case I can help.
"I have been profoundly deaf since 2-years-old, and my mum has given me so much support and guidance. I know that if she hadn't helped me with my speech, I wouldn't be here now.
"My advice to anyone who comes across a deaf or hearing impaired person is to keep looking at them whilst you're speaking. It really does help as many of us use lip reading as a tool."
