Clatterbridge employee awarded as emerging star in the NHS
Posted 20th November 2014
A promising cancer specialist has been recognised for her commitment to supporting young cancer patients when she was crowned ‘Emerging Leader Of The Year’ at the NHS North West Leadership Academy Award ceremony in Liverpool last night.
27-year-old Jayne Pattinson from Greasby is the Teenage Cancer Trust Youth Support Coordinator at theCentre. She supports young people with cancer across Merseyside and Cheshire, giving them the help they need to regain their confidence after treatment.
The Emerging Leader category in the prestigious annual awards recognises NHS employees who are not yet in a formal leadership role but deliver positive energy and passion in their working environment that inspires others and makes a real difference.
Jayne’s nomination said “she welcomes young people with a smile and a warm personality”, and has developed a flexible service which is responsive to young people’s needs, sometimes far beyond her remit. For example, she created an extra peer support group in North Wales to allow young people – often in isolated areas and unable to travel very far – to meet others without having to come to Merseyside. She has also been determined in securing free access to music lessons for young people with cancer from the Liverpool Institute of Performing Arts (LIPA).
Winning is becoming a regular event for Jayne as she has already been recognised by her colleagues for the outstanding contribution she makes to her work when they nominated her for one of the hospital’s monthly staff achievement awards … and she won!
Laura Elder is the Teenage Cancer Trust Teenage and Young Adult Lead Nurse at The Clatterbridge Cancer Centre. She nominated Jayne for her outstanding achievement and drive in innovating the service available to young people dealing with a cancer diagnosis. She said: “We are thrilled Jayne was rightly awarded for her achievements with this group of sometimes hard-to-reach patients. She travels across the Merseyside and Cheshire cancer network to homes and hospitals to motivate and inspire teenage and young adults to move on confidently after cancer treatment. She has helped so many young patients get back into work and college, engaging with schools and universities and constantly learning from medical professionals, and looking for ways to develop her skills to benefit her patients and their future.
“But more than the practical elements required to get life back on track, Jayne is a friend and a peer to her patients. She is a champion for young people living with and beyond a cancer diagnosis, and a fun person to be around. She’s no stranger to rock climbing or sailing on day trips out, because she does whatever is required to help them with what they need. She really is a jewel in the NHS crown and we are sure she will be a remarkable leader in the future. We’re very lucky to have her in our team.”
The Clatterbridge Cancer Centre works within the Merseyside and Cheshire Cancer Network to provide non-surgical oncology services for Teenagers and Young Adults patients aged 16-24 years. With the support of the Teenage Cancer Trust, they host one of the regions dedicated young person’s unit. The four en-suite bedrooms are equipped with televisions, media equipment and drop down beds that allow loved ones to stay overnight in the room if needed. The unit also has a small kitchen allowing young people and their visitors to make drinks and snacks, whilst the social area is equipped with games consoles and digital TV to allow them to mix with people of their own age.
