Oxfordshire Children’s Community Nursing Team wins Exceptional People Team Award

Oxfordshire’s Children’s Community Nursing Team has won an Exceptional People Team Award for their outstanding care, continuous compassion and support.

The Children’s Community Nursing Service (CCN) is a well-established team of experienced Children’s Nurses. The nurses have direct involvement with a child, helping parents provide treatment and monitoring their progress.

The team were praised for the deep impact they have on so many people in Oxfordshire – they make an incredible effort to support and guide families, holding their hands through some of the most traumatic and challenging times. The comfort they give to the patient and their loved ones is beyond compare.

The CCN team was nominated by Emily Tammam for the care they provided to her daughter, Neve. Emily also works at Oxford Health Biomedical Research Centre as an Administrator.

Emily shared a collection of examples of how the team advocated for Neve and her family. They truly did all they could to be there – from visiting Neve’s school to teach staff how to manage her seizures, basing themselves closer to the family’s home in moments of need and being there in moments of distress.

The team cared for Neve for two and a half years and were there when Neve passed away. They were compassionate, wise and dedicated – making such a difference.

Emily commented: “’The CCN team supported my daughter for 2.5 years, while she was dying.

“They were on call for her for most of that time, 24/7. It was clear how well Sarah Measures, who leads the team, supervised, trained and supported her team in their support for Neve and our family.

“They offered respite care, clinical care, emotional support, wisdom and guidance. From middle of the night phone calls about breathing to late night visits to insert new NG tubes, this team was always there. They were reliable, professional, warm, compassionate and experienced.

“In time, I realised that I compared every other team to the CCN team; very few matched their level of expertise and humanity.

“The team, mostly nurses but also a play specialist, support workers and even a fantastic nurse cadet, went above and beyond to ensure that they communicated well with all of Neve’s other teams. They liaised with the social care flexible support workers, ensuring they were trained to support Neve. In addition, they communicated clearly and responsively with the doctors and the care team at Helen House. They worked in an evidence-based way, always looking to the research and to what the guidelines were and ensuring that they educated themselves but even more importantly, the teams that worked with us.

“The CCN team were often juggling limited resources and staff and many children with complex needs yet they never made us feel that we were a problem.

“I have honestly never heard another family share the things that I have shared, about their local CCN team. So, based on that, I think we can safely say that this team within the OH trust is the best in the country. I often felt like we had won the postcode lottery, by having this team as our local team.”