Ridgeway Nurses win national award

By Amanda Wilkins - 1 October 2024

CommunityHealth
  • Filipe Carvalho, Chair of NCCNN (left), Sarah Gosturani, Beth Mwangi, and Genevieve Edwards, Chief Executive of Bowel Cancer UK (right). Photo by Rachael Silvester

    Filipe Carvalho, Chair of NCCNN (left), Sarah Gosturani, Beth Mwangi, and Genevieve Edwards, Chief Executive of Bowel Cancer UK (right). Photo by Rachael Silvester

Three Chemotherapy Nurses from The Ridgeway Hospital have won a prestigious national award.

Olu Bansenga. Photo by Rachael Silvester

Bowel Cancer UK has announced three Chemotherapy Nurses from The Ridgeway Hospital described as “warm, fun and caring” - as joint winners of the prestigious Gary Logue Colorectal Nurse Cancer Awards. 

Nurses Olu Bansenga, Beth Mwangi and Sarah Gosturani are the recipients of the award for a nurse nominated by a patient.  

One patient who nominated the three nurses told the judges that the care provided by Olu, Beth and Sarah had made all the difference to them. The patient had been diagnosed with stage 4 bowel cancer and described being terrified to start treatment.  

They said: “Being looked after by Olu, Beth and Sarah during my chemo sessions has been fun, which I never thought I would say. They made the six-hour sessions fly by and I actually look forward to treatment now because I get to spend time with them.” 

The three chemotherapy nurses were described as warm, fun, and caring. The judges of the awards said that they were impressed by Olu, Beth and Sarah’s dedication to their roles and noted that they always went above and beyond to ensure their patients had the right support.  

One patient said that advice given by Olu, Beth, and Sarah had saved their life three times: “I'm not the type of person to make a fuss of my symptoms, but they see through this and know when I've been really unwell and have made sure I get urgent care. I owe them everything.” 

Olu, Beth, and Sarah said that they are honoured to have won the award.  

In a statement following the presentation of their award, the three said: “Our patients are inspirational to us, as we see them fight the physical and emotional challenges that a cancer diagnosis brings, not to mention the gruelling chemotherapy regimens and sometimes the sad news of disease progression.

“They make us stronger as nurses to give the best care possible. Our patients are the true heroes, and we’re privileged to be able to care for, and get to know these brave individuals. We dedicate this award to them and their families and thank them for their kind nomination.

“We also want to use this opportunity to thank "Team Ridgeway" for all their contributions and support towards our cancer patient’s care at Ridgeway Hospital.  And also, a big thank you to Circle Health Group for making the hospital an amazing place to work and shine.” 

Team Ridgeway refers to all the staff at the Ridgeway Hospital, Circle Health Group, Swindon. 

The awards were set up in memory of Gary Logue, who worked as a nurse for the charity and died in 2014, in honour of the tireless dedication he showed during his career. This year marked the awards tenth anniversary.  

The awards were presented by the Chief Executive of Bowel Cancer UK, Genevieve Edwards, at the National Colorectal Cancer Nurses Network (NCCNN) Annual Education Event on Thursday 19 September 2024. As part of the award, Olu, Beth and Sarah received a bursary towards their professional development. 

Genevieve Edwards, Chief Executive of Bowel Cancer UK, said: “We’re incredibly proud of all our winners, finalists and nominees of the tenth Gary Logue Awards. It’s been fantastic to hear about the exceptional care these colorectal cancer nurses have shown to their patients.  

“Olu, Beth, and Sarah have done remarkable work in the past year and have provided outstanding support to their patients. A huge congratulations goes out to them.  

“Nurses like Olu, Beth, and Sarah make such a difference to patients and their families through supporting them through a very difficult time in their lives. And for that we thank them wholeheartedly.”  

 

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