Paediatric nurse at QA Hospital wins award

Tracey Thomas, senior paediatric sister at Queen Alexandra Hospital, in Cosham, was named Nurse of the Year at the Wessex Paediatric Awards for Training Achievement.

The 48-year-old has been part of the NHS for more than 20 years after moving to Portsmouth in 1992 to do nursing training.

One of the reasons Tracey was nominated for the award was her efforts in setting up the Children’s Bubbles Fund which raises money for equipment within the unit.

She said: ‘The whole department took up the fundraising challenge and we achieved our £30,000 target within five months.

‘We now have a committed and enthusiastic team and we have continued to raise funds for new projects.

‘We have recently acquired an interactive floor for children to play on in the department.’

Tracey thanked her team and said she was proud to work alongside them.

She added: ‘QA Hospital has one of the busiest paediatric departments in the country yet staff are regularly taking time out of their day to fundraise.

‘It never fails to impress me and it reflects the general ethos within our department.’