OUH nurse recognised at High Sheriff Awards
28/03/2019
This article is more than five years old.
Denise O'Donnell, a specialist nurse at Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, scooped a High Sheriff Award at a ceremony held at Oxford Town Hall on Tuesday 26 March 2019.
'Inspirational' Denise, who works on the Translational Gastroenterology Unit at the John Radcliffe Hospital, was recognised for her work on the liver disease service at the hospital.
Over the past decade she has built up a service that delivers care and organised support for countless patients with liver disease.
Denise said: "This award highlights the work that has been achieved by everyone in our nursing teams, including our specialists, assistants, data manager, and administration.
"Their combined work allows us to manage a cohort of patients that often feel vulnerable and stigmatised. Our team now run clinics not only in the John Radcliffe but also in the local community and prisons offering treatment and support to this group.
"I am very proud to accept this award as it is for each and every one of our team.
"I would like to thank Professor Paul Klenerman for nominating me for this award. I am very lucky that I work with an amazing and very diverse group of health care professionals that do fantastic work."
The main focus of the liver disease service has been looking after patients with chronic viral hepatitis, especially hepatitis C - a group where drug use, alcohol dependency and mental health disorders are a major issue.
Denise has driven programmes for patient care not only within the hospital services in Oxford, but throughout the county, and helped ensure treatment reaches those in Oxford's prisons and out in the community, including homeless populations.
She achieved this by harnessing clinicians, patient groups, recruiting a top-class team, and raising money for key initiatives, including running the London Marathon for the British Liver Trust.
For the patients with such illnesses, she is the friendly face who can turn a daunting appointment into an optimistic chance for cure. For these individuals, cure of hepatitis - a disease which carries with it a stigma and the risk of infecting others, as well as the risks of liver failure and cancer - is a critical step on the pathway to a healthy normal life.
Denise was given the award by High Sheriff Richard Venables at the High Sheriff of Oxfordshire Awards Ceremony hosted at Oxford Town Hall in Oxford.
Pictured: Denise O’Donnell, a specialist nurse at Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, and High Sheriff Richard Venables