The mental health nursing staff in ward 24 at University Hospital Monklands (UHM) were ecstatic to collect an award at this year’s Staff Awards ceremony in the category for ‘Outstanding Team – Clinical’. The category nomination was for teams that go that extra mile to deliver outstanding services. The team demonstrated excellent team working that created and sustained a supportive environment, allowing team working and collaboration to flourish.

Karen Spiers, senior charge nurse, said: “I was absolutely thrilled that the nursing staff were nominated for an award. The staff were delighted to have the care that they are so passionate about recognised in this way.

“Providing evidence of how the team go that extra mile was easy – they do so much to make the patients and their loved ones’ experience of our ward a very positive and supportive one. The nursing staff make every moment count in their time spent with the patients and they do this with so much compassion and care. We have noticeboards at the entrance to our ward filled with ‘Thank You’ cards from the people we have cared for.”

Since the award ceremony, the ward has been visited by the Mental Welfare Commission for Scotland as part of its routine programme. Their informal feedback provided no recommendations, a first for the ward and a major achievement generally. Eric Lindsay, mental health and learning disabilities service manager for the ward, said the feedback “was exemplary in every regard.”

The collaborative working on the ward continues to flourish which is evident in the recent garden fundraising ‘Old Skool Sports Day’ event organised by the nursing, domestic and clerical staff. The ward staff participated in a three-legged race, egg and spoon race and sack racing to offer some reminiscence and fun for the patients and families which they all thoroughly enjoyed.