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NELFT staff member named Influenza 2016 Champion
NELFT staff member Nicky Walpole has been recognised by NHS England as their Influenza 2016 Champion for London. Nicky is the Head of Integrated Community Services in Waltham Forest. The award is given to people who have been recognised for their contribution to the flu campaign in four regions across England.
The NELFT Flu Campaign saw staff either having vaccinations on site or receive vouchers to use at local pharmacies. The team organised vaccination sessions across the localities and at the Trust headquarters and take up among staff increased from the previous year. As well as Nicky, Karen Shepherd and Sue Burke were also nominated for this award from NELFT.
Danielle Lawrence, Immunisation Commissioning Officer for NHS England (London), said: “Every year the influenza vaccination is offered to healthcare workers to reduce the risk of staff contracting the virus and transmitting it to their patients. There has been a large improvement in the uptake of influenza vaccinations by healthcare workers across London in 2016/17. To celebrate the success we have had this year, NHS England London Region asked trusts to submit their nominations for the #Influenza2016 champion. Nicky Walpole was chosen as the winner because she is an influenza vaccinator that goes the extra mile to ensure staff are vaccinated. She was also commended for her excellent planning, tenacity, flexibility, and positive ‘can do’ approach.”
NELFT Chief Nurse, Stephanie Dawe said: “Congratulations to Nicky. Receiving this accolade from NHS England highlights how hard Nicky and the whole service worked this winter to vaccinate staff against flu. Increasing the take-up of vaccinations was important to the Trust and we are pleased that the number of staff taking up the offer of a flu jab has grown year on year.”
We spoke to Nicky about becoming the Regional Influenza Champion and asked her about her time at NELFT:
How did you feel when you heard you were to receive the accolade?
I felt that everything that I had done to support the campaign had been recognised and it is always really nice to feel that your endeavours are worthwhile.
I would also like to recognise the support from the NELFT leads of service in Waltham Forest, as I would not have achieved this award if they had not supported the campaign.
What was it that you did to receive the accolade?
NELFT for the first time had arranged for flu vouchers to be available to staff, so they could have their vaccination at a local pharmacy at a time that suited them. In order to support the campaign I visited local Waltham Forest sites to enable staff to receive a voucher to have their vaccine. To enable me to cover the whole locality, I gathered support from the leads of service to circulate vouchers at team meetings. I also visited some mandatory training sessions to capture lots of staff in one small space of time.
What’s your role within the company?
As head of integrated community services, I work alongside my assistant director Philomena Arthur and ICD Sue Boon. I am responsible for managing community services, which includes, integrated community teams, single point of access, specialist nursing teams. I am also the prescribing lead for Waltham Forest and became a non-medical prescriber in 2005.
As part of the 2016 flu campaign, to ensure that staff have been vaccinated against flu, the non-medical prescribing leads were asked to support the national campaign.
How long have you worked for NELFT?
I have worked for NELFT since 2002 as a ward sister in a community hospital in Essex, then as nurse specialist for older patients. I left the community hospital in 2007 and became the matron for discharge planning, again in Essex. In 2009, I managed single point of access and the night nursing service in Essex. I return to community hospitals in 2010 and became the matron for the in-patient wards. I went on secondment in 2014 to become the acute community services manager, which meant that I managed the transition for patients in the acute to community services. In 2016 I moved localities from Essex to Waltham Forest when I gained a promotion to head of integrated community services.
Pictured L-R are Diane Searle, NELFT Director of Nursing, Patient Safety and Nicky Walpole, Head of Integrated Community Services in Waltham Forest.