Gold and silver for St Mark’s pioneering pouch care team

Well, well, well! They’ve done it again! The much-admired pouch and stoma care nursing team at St Mark’s Hospital have won yet more accolades for their caring skills.

The source of their latest triumph was the 2023 BJN Awards run by the British Journal of Nursing.  St Mark’s Consultant Nurse Zarah Perry-Woodford was named Nurse of the Year in the BJN awards – a mere six months after she was nominated as Nursing Times Nurse Manager of the Year (See the Winter 2022-2023 Roar!).

To add even greater lustre to her win, the members of Zarah’s team, lead nurse Petya Marinova and pouch/stoma nurse Rali Marinova, won silver in the BJN awards Stoma Nurse of the Year category. This follows the team’s four nominations and a “highly commended” in the Nursing Times and Association of Stoma Care Nurses awards last October.

Commented Petya: “This is a joint team silver – or runners-up medal – for the stoma and pouch nursing team. We are very proud of this achievement and hope to continue doing amazing nursing work for all our patients.

“The award is for successfully delivering uninterrupted services throughout the Covid-19 pandemic, digitalising our services and publishing a stoma patient guide handbook – “Stoma Care – A Guide for Patients” – empowering patients to self-care throughout the pandemic and beyond.”

Jason Bacon, CEO of the St Mark’s Hospital Foundation, said: “The St Mark’s Foundation, members of the hospital trust and the staff of St Mark’s send a huge message of congratulations to Zarah and the whole team of remarkable nurses. We are delighted that Zarah Perry-Woodford has been awarded “Nurse of the Year” and the St Mark’s stoma and pouchcare nursing team won the silver medal for the BJN Stoma Care Team of the Year.”

Added Petya: “We are all extremely proud of Zarah Perry-Woodford’s well-deserved achievement, as it is testament to the amazing work she has done over the last 20-plus years, and especially the last couple of years, leading the pouch and stoma care team through the Covid-19 pandemic and beyond, ensuring services are maintained in a safe and effective way, and going above and beyond in order to ensure the safety of the team, and guaranteeing that patients are well supported with uninterrupted service throughout the pandemic and beyond.”

Christopher Browne
Trustee and ROAR! editor