Six Somerset cardiac scientists recognised at national awards

A group of colleagues in our cardiology department at Musgrove Park Hospital have been recognised in the annual Society for Cardiological Science and Technology (SCST) awards.

As the professional body for cardiac science, the SCST run the awards to recognise those involved in cardiac science.

Sarah Pollard, non-invasive lead for cardiology in Somerset, says she’s pleased to celebrate the efforts of her colleagues, adding she’s really proud of them.

“Too often we squirrel away these fantastic people and don’t tend to recognise their excellent work, so it’s good to get some national recognition through these awards,” she says.

“In total we had four winners and a further two finalists, which were chosen by a panel of experts within the field of cardiac science.

“Helen Kavanagh, one of our pacing specialists, won the innovator prize for transformation for the way she really pioneered the use of home monitoring for patients in the south west, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“As we live in such a rural county, we were already using a good level of home monitoring, so Helen and the team felt it made more sense to make it so those patients didn’t have to travel unnecessarily, and it’s taken off from there.

“Thanks to their work, over 5,000 patients are now being cared for at home, where their vital cardiac device data is downloaded to a cardiac monitor in their home, which is sent securely to our cardiology team.

“From this, we get alerts if there are any problems, as well as carrying out routine checks and monitoring of the health and safety of their device battery.”

Jacques Robertson, one of our trainee clinical scientists at the time, won the Rising Star award. “Jacques has just completed his student programme and is now employed with us as an echocardiographer,” continues Sarah.

“He has been an absolutely outstanding student, and has taken time to mentor and support others through their student journey too – a fantastic member of the team. He also set up and implemented a training programme for our cardiographer colleagues.

“Another winner was Sue Davison, who was named Cardiographer of the Year, but I think that should be Cardiographer of the Decade! This was such a well-deserved award, as Sue goes above and beyond every single day she’s here.

“Sue does so much more than her cardiographer day job for us, as she always goes out of her way to help and support if someone has a problem or is struggling. She will always be first in there to ask what she can do, and I think that’s why she ended up winning.”

Cardiac clinical scientist, Emily King, took home the Cardiac Scientist of the Year award, for the incredible efforts she has made in teaching others.

Sarah continues: “One of Emily’s key achievements has been the establishment of regular teaching sessions, which have been vital in fostering a collaborative learning environment.

“These sessions provide a platform for exchanging ideas, discussing best practices, and addressing challenges faced by students in their training.

“She has also been recognised for her outstanding contributions as regional practice educator for the Cardiac Scientist Training Programme (STP) students in the south west region. Her commitment and innovative approach to enhancing the educational experiences of these students have distinguished them as leaders in the field.”

Two other colleagues in the team were also finalists in the SCST awards – Esme Andrew, a student cardiac physiologist, and Amy Szewiel, a senior echocardiographer.

“Esme has completed her training at Yeovil Hospital, with support from Musgrove to complete competencies in procedures not carried out at Yeovil, such as angiography – she is one of our students who’s coming towards the end of her training,” continues Sarah.

“Everybody I’ve spoken to couldn’t be more impressed with her professionalism and how she supports them in the workplace – she exemplifies what you’d want in a student.

“Amy was a finalist in the patient care excellence category, and I’ve only positive things to say about her as she’s a genuinely lovely human being who we’re very lucky to have in Somerset!

“She always shows care and compassion to every patient and colleague, so she really deserved the nomination for this award.

“Amy also provides a number of scientist-led services for patients throughout their episode of care with us, and she definitely shines through with that.”

Sarah concludes that she’s very proud of her cardiac science colleagues, with their efforts making our service in Somerset one of the best to work for.

“We are so lucky in Somerset to have these amazing colleagues and I couldn’t be any prouder of the team,” she says.

“Every single colleague goes out of their way to provide outstanding care, with our patients all treated as if they were a relative – that really shows in everything they do.

“We provide outstanding services here that are on par with some of the largest hospitals in the country, and that’s testament to the dedication and commitment of the self-development that our colleagues put in, where they aim to make services better for patients.

“I’ve worked in cardiology for almost 19 years, and it’s always a happy and friendly place to be, with everyone always ready to help each other out, showing great teamwork.

“Every colleague in our cardiology team, whatever their role, plays a crucial role, and we simply couldn’t do it without each other. It’s a wonderful place to work and I personally enjoy coming into work every day because of the people here.”