No day is the same for specialist falls nurse Pam

Pam Vickers deals with patients aged from 16 to 103.
Pam Vickers, sister/manager of South Tyneside NHS Foundation Trusts community falls service.Pam Vickers, sister/manager of South Tyneside NHS Foundation Trusts community falls service.
Pam Vickers, sister/manager of South Tyneside NHS Foundation Trusts community falls service.

No two days are ever the same for this sister/manager of South Tyneside NHS Foundation Trust’s community falls service.

The service offers a joint nursing and physiotherapy assessment in a one-stop clinic and its rehabilitation programme works to reduce the number of falls.

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Nursing was Ms Vickers’ career choice when she was 17 and it all began at Sunderland Eye Infirmary.

After about 12 years spent in a managerial role in social services and in elderly care in the private sector, she decided it was time to return to nursing and the NHS.

“I love this job,” said Ms Vickers.

“I lead a fantastic team who work with people, most of whom are older, who have fallen or who are at risk of falling.

“Some have balance or gait problems, some have a fear of falling. 
“Ultimately, our aim is to prevent them from having further falls.

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“The most enjoyable part of the job for me is seeing the positive results which can be achieved and the difference we make to people’s lives.

“It’s a great feeling when you get patient feedback and they say they feel more confident and that they have got their independence back.”

“Recognition for the hard work and commitment of those working in the health sector, such as through the Best of Health Awards, had the potential to give staff a big boost,” she added.

THE CATEGORIES

This year’s Best of Health competition will be searching for even more examples of excellence in the health world.

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That’s because our 2017 awards includes South Tyneside as well as Sunderland.

There are lots of categories to choose from, so there’s no excuse not to put your own health hero in the running for honours.

Let’s start with the categories where we will be choosing two winners, one for Sunderland and one for South Tyneside.

* GP of the Year.

* Hospital Doctor of the Year.

* Nurse of the Year.

* Dental Practice of the Year/ Dentist of the Year.

* Optometrist of the Year.

* Therapist of the Year.

* Midwife of the year.

* Customer Service/Unsung Hero of the Year.

* Long term achievement.

There will be one winner - covering all areas - chosen in the following categories.

* Care Worker of the Year.

* Pharmacist of the Year.

* Dental nurse of the Year.

* Team of the Year

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And there is one category where a winner will be chosen for South Tyneside only.

* Community nurse of the Year.

THE SPONSORS

Sponsors for this year’s awards are South Tyneside NHS Foundation Trust, City Hospitals Sunderland NHS Foundation Trust, mydentist, and NHS Sunderland Clinical Commissioning Group.

To nominate, just send your name, address and telephone number, as well as your email address, if applicable. Remember to include the category you are putting your nominated cause into.

Also send the name of the person you wish to nominate, along with their address, telephone number and email (if known).

Send all of that to Lynn Wild by no later than April 7.

Email those entries to [email protected] or send them to Lynn Wild, Alexander House, Second Floor, Rainton Bridge Business Park, Houghton-le-Spring, Sunderland,DH4 5RA.