Royal Surrey’s Clinical Lead for Covid-19 Response wins national award | News

A dedicated nurse at Royal Surrey was surprised and delighted to receive a national recognition award for his considerable contribution to the Royal Surrey’s Covid-19 response.

Jake Hellier, Clinical Lead for Covid-19 Response at Royal Surrey, received the award from Advanced Healthcare Esteem after being nominated by a colleague. This is the second award he has been nominated for this year, previously receiving a nomination for a HEAT Award under the category ‘Champion of Diversity, Inclusivity and Widening Participation’ at the beginning of March.

The Esteem recognition scheme was set up to highlight the outstanding contribution of individuals and teams throughout the Covid-19 outbreak.

Razan Altarsha, the Pharmacy Technician who nominated Jake, was impressed by his “compassion and understanding” and his ability to “absorb all the sadness,” of the pandemic. She said:  

“Jake has been visible and proactive as the Clinical Lead for Covid-19 Response - an ideal person to fulfil this role. 

“He has been dealing with patients and colleagues who feel they can open up to him because of his caring personality. 

“He absorbed all the sadness at the beginning, with compassion and understanding without letting anybody notice.

“He is a true professional and I am thankful for his skills and kindness.”

Before the outbreak of the pandemic, Jake worked as a Clinical Site Manager for the Trust and was asked to take on a new role as the Clinical Lead for Covid-19 Response in February. Jake’s new responsibilities include the enormous undertaking of organising both patient and staff screenings for the virus throughout the Trust.

Speaking about his award, Jake said: “It was a complete surprise as I didn’t know I had been nominated.

“Taking on the job role was an exciting challenge for me and one which I don’t regret. I have always been passionate about supporting staff wellbeing, and now I work within Occupational Therapy this is the key focus of my job.

“I am the first point of contact for staff members when they have any queries related to Covid-19 and I am always here to support and help them.

“While I am honoured to receive this award, it’s the recognition from my peers that means the most to me.

“I love knowing that the work I am doing is boosting their wellbeing and having an impact on the hospital.”

In his spare time, Jake is a trained musical coach and directs theatre productions including last year’s The Full Monty by Sunflower Productions which raised a staggering £18,120 for the Trust charity.