NHS worker Julie Kemp scoops top award for supporting New Forest's elderly

AN NHS employee who worked unpaid for the New Forest community geriatric medicine team during the pandemic has been awarded for her devotion to helping elderly people.

Julie Kemp, medical secretary at Southern Health NHS Foundation Trust, picked up the Skills for Health bronze award for being the Exceptional NHS Operational Support Worker of the Year.

She had devoted her free time to help the trust’s frailty team during the first lockdown in 2020 to provide assessments to elderly people seven days a week.

It managed to nearly double the amount of patients it saw during a crucial time.

Speaking after receiving her award, Julie said, “I was incredibly grateful to my colleagues for nominating me, it was lovely to be part of such a special day and very humbling.”

Dr Marianne Plater, consultant geriatrician at Southern Health NHS Foundation Trust, said: “Julie is an amazingly dedicated medical secretary who supports the New Forest community geriatric medicine team.

“She is compassionate and caring, goes the extra mile to ensure patients and their families understand the assessment process, and helps them with coordinating investigations between departments to minimise the disruption for a patient.”

As the pandemic evolved Julie helped other trust administrative teams to adjust to working from home and acted as a mentor.

Dr Plater added: “She supports us as a team to offer a high-quality service which has now expanded to cover the whole of the New Forest since the start of the pandemic.

"Her work ethic, kindness and reliability are an example to us all.”