16 April 2026

Our staff have been recognised through an award that gives patients and families the chance to say thank you.

Over 50 nominations were submitted for this year’s Delivering Excellence Awards, People’s Choice category, each highlighting the exceptional care, kindness and professionalism shown by individuals across our Trust.

Thank you to everyone who took the time to share their experiences and recognise those who have made a real difference during some of life’s most challenging moments.

A judging panel has now selected a shortlist, and voting is open to decide this year’s winner. Among those nominated is:

Dr Laura Bohane from the Paediatric Diabetes Team

Dr Laura Bohane consistently demonstrates exceptional dedication, compassion, and leadership in her care of children and families affected by diabetes, and she truly embodies the values of kindness, excellence, collaboration, and patient-centred care.

As a parent representative, I have personally experienced Dr Bohane’s unwavering support, approachability, and genuine partnership with families. She actively listens to parent voices, values lived experience and ensures that parents are treated as equal partners in a child’s care journey. She takes time to understand concerns, respond thoughtfully, and advocate for improvements that directly benefit children and families, even when this requires extra time beyond her already demanding clinical role.

On the ward, Dr Bohane is an outstanding counsellor and clinician for children with diabetes. She has a remarkable ability to connect with young patients in a calm, reassuring, and age-appropriate way, helping them to understand their condition without fear or overwhelm. She recognises that diabetes is not just a medical diagnosis, but an emotional and psychological challenge, and she consistently addresses both aspects with care and sensitivity.

Dr Bohane goes above and beyond by being fully present for each child and family. She does not rush interactions, and she ensures that children feel seen, heard, and safe. Families leave conversations with her feeling informed, supported, and more confident in managing diabetes, which has a lasting positive impact far beyond the hospital setting.

Her commitment to excellence is evident in the way she continually seeks to improve patient experiences, support multidisciplinary teamwork, and champion compassionate care. She creates an environment where children feel empowered rather than defined by their diagnosis, and where parents feel supported rather than alone.

Dr Laura Bohane is an exceptional example of what outstanding paediatric diabetes care looks like. Her dedication, empathy, and tireless advocacy make a profound difference to the lives of children and families every day, and she is thoroughly deserving of this award.


Karolina Adamski, a Student Nurse Apprentice with the Clinical Education Team

I would like to nominate Karolina, an Apprentice Student, for the People’s Choice Award in recognition of the extraordinary compassion, preparation and genuine care she brings to every patient interaction.

Karolina approaches every patient as an individual. She does not provide routine care; she provides personal care. She makes it her priority that every patient feels seen, valued and emotionally supported, especially those who are vulnerable or alone.

She has a natural ability to work with patients living with dementia. She remains calm, reassuring and patient, adapting her communication to reduce distress while always preserving dignity. Patients respond positively to her presence, often becoming more settled and cooperative when she is caring for them.

Karolina is particularly exceptional when supporting patients with special needs. She comes to work prepared; she keeps sensory toys and a sensory lamp in her bag because she knows she may need to support a patient who is overstimulated or distressed at any time. She does not wait to be told what to do; she anticipates needs. When caring for a special needs patient who was overwhelmed and unsettled, she introduced sensory support, which helped the patient become visibly calmer and more relaxed. Her preparation and understanding of sensory needs are remarkable for someone at her level of training.
Her compassion extends far beyond clinical duties. Karolina personally buys fruit, sweets and newspapers for patients who do not receive visitors, because she recognises how loneliness affects wellbeing. She does this quietly and without seeking recognition, simply because she knows some patients have no one else.

One patient spent an entire day in tears, repeatedly saying she felt lonely and cold. The following morning, Karolina arrived for her shift with hand warmers and a warm blanket she had brought from home. The emotional impact was profound. For the remainder of her hospital stay, the patient spoke to staff about how happy she was to have her warm blanket and hand warmers, and how much it meant that someone cared enough to bring her a gift. She repeatedly said she felt important and remembered.

Patients genuinely adore Karolina. When they see that she is on shift, their mood visibly lifts. They feel safer, happier and more supported simply knowing she is there.

She is not afraid of challenges and consistently goes above and beyond to improve patient comfort and emotional well-being. Despite being an apprentice, she demonstrates maturity, empathy and dedication far beyond expectations. Karolina does not just care for patients; she makes them feel loved, valued, and less alone.

David Turner, Lead Practice Development Nurse for Urgent and Emergency Care

I am honoured to nominate David Turner, Lead Practice Development Nurse for Urgent and Emergency Care at St. Mary’s Hospital.

David has worked at St. Mary’s for many years and is truly a “hidden hero” within our organisation. Every single day, he trains, teaches, mentors, and supports hundreds of nurses, students, HCAs, ENPs, ACPs, and other hospital staff. His work not only ensures the highest quality of care for our patients but also continuously strengthens the knowledge, competence, and confidence of the entire emergency care workforce.

David never refuses help. No matter how busy he is, he always finds time for everyone. There is no problem he will not try to solve and no challenge he will step away from. He is the person staff turn to for guidance, reassurance, and expertise, whether they are newly qualified and finding their confidence, or experienced practitioners seeking to refine advanced skills.

What makes David exceptional is that his commitment to staff development directly translates into exceptional patient care. By ensuring that all members of the emergency department are thoroughly trained, clinically competent, and confident in high-pressure situations, he creates a culture where safe, evidence-based, and compassionate care is consistently delivered.

Because David invests so heavily in education and mentorship, patients attending the Emergency Department receive a high and consistent standard of care. Staff are better equipped to recognise deterioration early, escalate concerns appropriately, make sound clinical decisions, and deliver timely interventions. His influence reduces risk, strengthens patient safety, and improves overall patient experience, even during the busiest and most demanding shifts.

David oversees approximately 250 staff members, yet he makes a genuine effort to know individuals personally. He ensures that every employee feels valued, supported, and heard. He provides not only educational guidance, but also emotional support and encouragement, fostering resilience and professional pride within the team. For David, every employee matters, because he understands that when staff feel supported, patients receive better care.

What many people do not see is that David frequently stays beyond his contracted hours, effectively volunteering his time because he believes no one should be left without support. His dedication goes far beyond duty. He treats his role not simply as a job, but as the passion of his life. His empathy, integrity, and unwavering commitment elevate standards on the emergency floor every single day.

Through his leadership, staff feel empowered, patients receive safer and more compassionate care, and the overall quality of our service continues to improve. His impact is visible not only in clinical standards, but in morale, teamwork, and the culture of excellence he has helped build.

For these reasons, I wholeheartedly believe that David Turner truly embodies the values this award seeks to recognise his impact on patient care and staff development is extraordinary and deserves formal recognition.

Mary Silos, a Clinical Practice Educator in Urgent and Emergency Care

Mary is an exceptional Clinical Practice Educator within Urgent and Emergency Care whose impact reaches far beyond her formal role. She plays a vital strategic role in shaping the standards, culture and quality of care delivered on the Emergency Floor.

Through her dedication to education and professional development, Mary ensures that staff are not only clinically competent but confident, compassionate and motivated. She actively supports continuous learning, promotes evidence-based practice and encourages reflective thinking. By strengthening the team's knowledge and skills, she directly contributes to delivering outstanding care to patients, their relatives, and the wider community.

Mary’s influence is clearly visible in performance and patient outcomes. Well-supported and well-trained staff can provide safer, more efficient, and more compassionate care. She builds confidence in junior staff, supports newly qualified nurses and empowers experienced clinicians to continually improve their practice. Her teaching enhances patient experience by ensuring that care is delivered with professionalism, dignity and respect.

Patient safety is always at the centre of Mary’s practice. She challenges unsafe practice when necessary, promotes best-practice standards, and ensures that learning from incidents is translated into improvement. She fosters an environment where staff feel safe to ask questions, raise concerns and seek guidance, strengthening safety culture across the department.

What truly distinguishes Mary is that she leads by example. Despite her educator role, when the department is busy, she steps onto the floor and works directly alongside the team, delivering hands-on patient care. She never walks past a patient or colleague in need of help. Whether supporting a distressed patient, assisting in a critical situation or guiding a colleague through a complex clinical decision, Mary is always present, calm and supportive.

Her dedication, integrity and compassion create a ripple effect throughout the department. Because of Mary, patients in our Emergency Department receive care that is not only clinically excellent but delivered with genuine empathy and professionalism. She strengthens strategy through education, improves performance through empowerment and enhances safety through continuous improvement.

Mary truly embodies the values of the People Choice Award and makes a lasting difference to patients, families and colleagues every single day.

The ICU team

When my husband became seriously unwell and was placed into an induced coma he was transferred to ICU. The care he received from the nurses and anaesthetists was outstanding.

They treated him with dignity and respect, always explaining what they were doing and why they were doing it, even though he was sedated and not responding. They made him comfortable and even offered to give him a shave so he would look smart! The lady on the desk sorted parking for us and regularly checked in on us, the HCAs and cleaners always asked us if we were ok and got everything clean and organised. Each nurse we met, made us as a family welcome to the unit and included us in his daily care, there are so many I can't remember all their names.

Jedd, one of the staff nurses knew myself and my children by our names and greeted us every day as we entered, this made us feel as though we were part of a family. The anaesthetists explained what was happening, the good and the bad, to my husband and informed us of the reasoning behind the treatment they were giving him. Several times we were told he may not survive and to prepare for the worst, but with all their help, after 14 days my husband responded and was taken off sedation.

He has made an amazing recovery and is doing well. We, as a family spent nearly 3 weeks in ICU and I cannot fault the care, compassion, attentiveness, empathy and overall friendliness of the entire staff in the unit, without this the whole situation could have been a lot harder to deal with than it was. We walked into ICU strangers and left feeling like family, and that we mattered. Thank you for everything you did to keep our family as a family of 4.

The People’s Choice Award is part of the Trust’s annual Delivering Excellence Awards, celebrating the incredible work of staff across all services.

Voting is now open and will close on Friday 8 May 2026.

The winner will be announced at this year’s Delivering Excellence Awards, taking place on Tuesday 16 June 2026. You can read the full nominations and have your say in choosing this year’s winner by using the online voting form.