Support worker Serina Holdway praised for observation in helping patient

Serina Holdway, who works in the Basing Unit at Basingstoke hospital, was presented with a WOW! award at a special lunch hosted by Hampshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust.

Serina was presented with the award for her efforts when she noticed that something was wrong with a patient who was leaving the unit.

She said: “I make it a point to say goodbye and acknowledge everyone who leaves the unit. I noticed that one patient was breathless, white as a sheet and his nose and lips had turned blue."

After noticing something wasn’t quite right, Serina stopped the patient, taking him into one of the consultant rooms and checking his pulse. The patient was then seen by a specialist and subsequently fitted with a pacemaker to regulate his heartbeat.

Serina added: “I find that you can tell a lot about a person and their general state of health purely from being observant to their appearance, especially as many of the patients on the Basing Unit have multiple visits.

“I just thought I was doing my job really. It’s a really nice feeling to have been nominated by the patient and makes you feel good to have been recognised.”

Serina was one of many WOW! Award winners honoured for their hard work, dedication and care during the lunch event. Other winners included the estates team for all their hard work helping drivers and gritting pathways during the snow and ice in March.

Staff from five departments were surprised with special presentations for reaching a landmark number of nominations.

Staff on Ward C2 and the Isolation Ward at Basingstoke Hospital, alongside Kemp Welch Ward at Winchester Hospital, have now received 50 nominations, while staff working on Ward C2 and The Candover Suite at Basingstoke Hospital have now been nominated 100 times.

Staff can be nominated for a WOW! Award by their colleagues, patients or visitors throughout the year, with a handful of winners selected by the trust’s public governors each month.