Maurice Jones: A major cog at Princess Royal Hospital
To anyone who has ever had to spend time at Telford's Princess Royal Hospital, there's a good chance they'll have come across Maurice Jones.
He's not a doctor and you won't find him among the nursing staff, but Maurice is one of the lynch pins, without whom a busy hospital simply couldn't exist.
Based in the mail room, which must rank as one of the most important parts of the hospital for anyone either facing a lengthy stay or waiting for an appointment, he's a familiar face at the PRH.
Hospital porter Maurice is the latest nominee for the Public Choice Award in the Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust Awards 2014.
You can find out how to vote for him or any of the other nominees, who we're profiling all this week, in Saturday's Shropshire Star.
His nomination comes after being given a Chairman's Award earlier this year, following glowing praise from his colleagues.
The 52-year-old was hailed by his friends as someone who takes particular pride he takes in his work, for his helpfulness and his positive attitude.
Naturally Maurice, who has worked at the hospital for nearly six years, was reticent to blow his own trumpet, but it's clear that the job has had a massive impact on his life.
"I absolutely love it. I just feel very, very privileged that I'm in a position where I can help people every day.
"Whatever I might do, in whatever way is, at the end of the day I'm helping a patient.
"That might be delivering medical records to a doctor or transferring a patient to X-ray from the wards, helping someone in A&E or perhaps taking someone to theatre.
"I hope that, in a respectful way I can help to make someone's day more cheerful.
"Sometimes that can mean simply helping to calm a patient down, there are times when hospital can be a frightening experience."
Maurice admits that he almost came into the job almost "by accident"
"Sadly my mother, who passed away recently, was diagnosed with dementia. She needed 24 hour care, so we took her into our house and I needed a job that offered some flexibility.
"So I got a part-time job here as a porter. Sadly mum then passed away. That meant that I was able to take on more hours and the rest is history, as they say.
"A lot of the patients that I deal with today have dementia, or have had a stroke, like my mother, so I do feel a lot of empathy with them and it's put me in a position where I'm able to perhaps help them more by understanding what these illnesses are all about."
But Maurice spend most of his time in the mailroom and, from there, he gets through an awful lot of shoe leather.
"Yes, there's a fair few miles every day, we get to every corner of the hospital. It's fair to say that I've got through a few pairs of shoes in my time," he added.
In June, father-of-two Maurice was presented with the Trust's Chairman's Award by Professor Peter Latchford.
"The award came as a complete surprise to me. It was fantastic to be nominated but to win the award as well was unbelievable," he said.
"The satisfaction of making people happy and playing my role in the life of the hospital drives me on."
At the Board meeting which preceded the presentation, Neil Nisbet, Finance Director, read out some of the comments that formed part of the nomination for Maurice, who lives in Admaston in Telford.
One said: "Maurice sums up all the Trust's values. He always carries out his job with pride and is so helpful, and if you ask him for anything he makes it happen if he is able.
"He is respectful to everyone and ensures that the mail room at PRH runs as smoothly as possible. He goes above and beyond in his role and knows most staff in the hospital by name.
"His hard work, positive attitude, contribution to his team and other teams around the hospital, and the patients should be commended. People like Maurice make the Trust a better place."
This has been echoed by senior colleagues in the Estates and Facilities Team who added: "Maurice is the hardest working individual I know who works with a smile and a positive attitude to who or what he encounters. I have a specific memory of a statement made by another member of staff from another department which simply goes 'why can't we clone Maurice, he's wonderful' which sums everyone's perception of this great character!"
Reason for the awards and how to take part:
The Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust's annual Trust Awards are designed to highlight the enthusiastic and innovative efforts of staff at the organisation.
Each year they provide a snapshot of the passion and commitment of the thousands of staff who work at the Royal Shrewsbury Hospital, the Princess Royal Hospital in Telford and in the community, seeking every day to provide the best possible care for half a million people across Shropshire, Telford & Wrekin and Mid Wales.
The Public Choice Award is one of the 10 awards – and the only one to be voted for by the public.
All week, we're bringing you the stories of the five nominees. You can find out how to vote in Saturday's Shropshire Star.
This year's awards will take place in the reception area of the Shropshire Women and Children's Centre at the PRH at 2pm on September 11.
The ceremony will take place ahead of the trust's annual general meeting, which will be held at 3pm in the Education Centre.
Almost 100 nominations were made, a figure on a par with last year. Short-listing has taken place and about 45 nominees have been chosen as the finalists in the awards.
This year there is a revamped set of awards, with a focus on the trust's new values – Proud To Care, Make It Happen, We Value Respect and Together We Achieve.
Four new awards focus on each of the trust's values and there is also a Public Choice Award, which will be open to staff and the wider community to vote for the winner through the Shropshire Star.
The award categories for 2014 are:
Quality of Care
Proud To Care
Make It Happen
We Value Respect
Together We Achieve
Public Choice
Research and Development
Academies
Ward/Department of the Year
Leader of the Year
A judging panel featuring executive and non-executive directors, senior managers, members of the public and a representative from a partner organisation will decide the winners (Public Choice aside) at the start of next month.
Members of the public are invited to the awards presentation and the AGM and the trust would be delighted if they can attend the event.
If possible people are asked to please let the trust know in advance if they are planning to attend. This will help to ensure there is an information pack available for them, and that they are provided with details about parking on the day.
The Membership Office can be contacted by calling (01743) 261473 or alternatively by emailing members@sath.nhs.uk
See also: Shining the spotlight on stars of Shropshire's health service
