Ward manager Carole Murphy with Trish Armstrong-Child
Nearly 75 after being founded the NHS is the world’s fifth biggest employer – but retiring ward manager reckons it’s the little things that count.
Carole Murphy was chosen from more than 60 nominations for the Chief Executive’s Unsung Hero Award at Blackpool Teaching Hospitals’ Celebrating Success staff awards.
She said: “It has been an honour to spend my whole working career working alongside the most caring and compassionate people, who strive every day to make the NHS the best it can be for all no matter what their background is.
“And working for the NHS has taught me that the smallest things can make the biggest difference to patients and staff.”
Presenting the award, Chief Executive Trish Armstrong-Child said Carole was someone who put her needs second to those of her team on the Surgical Assessment Unit at Blackpool Victoria Hospital.
“She is her ward’s ‘mother hen’, supporting their development with an amazing ability to ensure colleagues want to return to work with her again and again. She also went above and beyond in her support of a late, much-loved colleague.”
Carole, who has worked for 20 years at Blackpool, including 13 on the Acute Medical Unit with eight as manager, retires next month.
She said: “I’ve had a fabulous career and worked with many marvellous people. It’s a been a pleasure to see so many of them grow professionally and turn into wonderful nurses.”
The Celebrating Success ceremony was watched online by thousands of colleagues, family and members of the public. You can relive the moment Carole won her award here. The runners up for the award were Ismail Dalal, Paediatric Diabetes Lead Nurse, and Dr Gareth Hardy, an Emergency Department and ICU consultant.