UP CLOSE: Crewe hero nominated for NHS Parliamentary Awards
By Ryan Parker
5th Jun 2022 | Local News
An inflammatory bowel disease specialist at Leighton Hospital - spoke to Nub News about being nominated for the annual award celebrating NHS heroes.
Louise Smith who lives in Crewe, was nominated for the NHS Parliamentary Award by a current patient who had known her for a long time.
Mrs Smith was nominated for the Nursing and Midwifery award, for being being so supportive and hands-on to answer questions during the patients treatment.
The NHS Parliamentary Awards was launched in 2018, celebrating the NHS's 70th birthday and recognising the 'outstanding' contribution of staff, volunteers working in the health and care sector.
"I get a lot of satisfaction from making patients better. It makes a huge difference to them as their quality of life is improved.
"I am just a hard working nurse, I work lots of extra hours but love my job because of the patients," says Mrs Smith.
Louise Smith, born in Bebbington, Merseyside, has lived in Crewe since 1996 - getting married in the town back in 1995.
Mrs Smith told Nub News: "I started at Leighton Hospital in 1990 and did my nurse training until 1993.
"The hospital went trust status so a lot of jobs were frozen - I couldn't get job here at that time.
"I returned to Leighton in 1995, got married, moved to the area, I have enjoyed my time here.
"My role was for initially for four hours per week. Gradually we were able to get funding and my job went to full-time."
Nominations for the NHS Parliamentary Awards were opened on March 2 and closed on the April 6 this year.
Mrs Smith said: "Our MP Kieran Mullan got in touch with me to inform me of the nomination.
"A lot of my patients deserve an award for what they have to put up with day in day out - they do so well to remain positive."
The Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) service, is a nurse –led service, which offers specialist advice, education and support, treatments and monitoring for patients with an inflammatory bowel disease, such as Crohn's disease and Ulcerative colitis.
Ulcerative colitis is a long-term condition where the colon and rectum become inflamed.
Small ulcers can develop on the colon's lining, and can bleed and produce pus.
Louise liaises with other departments to ensure patients have a streamlined journey into the hospital and adapts to all of her patients' requirements.
Mrs Smith said: "Some patients are classed as extremely vulnerable and prefer calls on phone.
"During COVID, everyone was working from home. Telephone conversations were suiting people a lot better and this has continued.
"One positive outcome of the pandemic was that telephone calls were set up or patients so they didn't miss important work and can have appointments easily.
"If you imagine someone at college, university or being a parent with these symptoms you think to yourself it could be me or a close family member."
Mrs Smith believes that all hospitals across the UK have similar staffing struggles.
The inflammatory bowel disease specialist was happy to see another nurse added to her area.
She said: "Leighton Hospital secured funding for another nurse to work with me.
"National guidelines state there should be three or four nurses on this ward for the population size of Crewe. The hospital is working towards a third nurse now.
"Leighton Hospital overall, is well run. It's probably the same as a lot of hospitals, there aren't enough staff for all patients."
Mrs Smith who has lived in Crewe for more than 25 years, told Nub News that hospitals have evolved a lot since she first started her career.
"Everything has changed nowadays in terms of how a hospital is run.
"When people are in hospital, it is managed that they are in for a shorter period of time than they used to be - this allows more patients to be seen.
"The numbers of patients are rising. There has to be shorter times to cope with the demand."
The NHS Parliamentary Awards nominee believed that an expansion of Leighton Hospital was a good idea.
A proposed £633 million rebuild of the Crewe hospital, built in the 1970s, is on the cards but faces stiff competition from a number of other UK hospitals.
Mid Cheshire NNHS Hospitals Trust formally submitted a bid to completely redevelop Leighton in September 2021. An official decision is expected later this year.
Leighton Hospital also unveiled its new £15 million A&E department in February this year - officially opened by Health Secretary Sajid Javid.
Mrs Smith added: "The UK has a growing and an ageing population, especially in Crewe with so many housing developments taking place - there needs to be growth in Leighton Hospital to cope with it."
The NHS Parliamentary Awards has represented a chance for MPs such as Dr Mullan, to say thank you for all the work done to support the NHS in the local community.
The winners of the NHS Parliamentary Awards will be presented with their awards in One Great George Street, London, on 6 July.
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