Scotland's Health Awards 2024 in association with The Scotsman. The O2 in Edinburgh Thursday November 07 2024
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00:00Congratulations to Gemma Burdick who has won the Outstanding Contribution Award
00:08award by the Scotsman Readers. What does it mean to you to win this award?
00:12I'm just completely overwhelmed and I'm so... I work in a team which have always been really
00:17passionate about working with addictions. It's a team which I think that we don't get
00:24so much recognition. So I think that this time I really just want to take it back to
00:30Scottish Borders and just say that this is for us and the amazing work that we do for
00:35people who use substances and potentially don't have a good time in life. So that's
00:42all I say. You're going to have to cut that bit out at the end. I'm so sorry.
00:46It's alright.
00:47Will you?
00:48Just keep going.
00:49Alright, okay.
00:50That's okay, just keep going.
00:51Just keep going.
00:52Yeah.
00:53Aye, you're going to have to.
00:54Oh my god.
00:55And the other thing that I was going to say.
00:56I don't know what to say.
00:57I know you're overwhelmed, aren't you?
00:58Aha.
00:59The one thing that when you were nominated, it was talked about when you went into somebody's
01:04home and helped them. Could you tell us about that incident?
01:08So this individual we had been working with very closely, working at home, and he went
01:15into hospital which we got the ambulance to come and collect him. So we only work Monday
01:22to Friday. And on the Monday, because this was the Friday he went into hospital, on the
01:29Monday the first thing I done was went onto the hospital, like you can see who's in the
01:34hospital, went in, he wasn't there. And I was like, right, why has he been discharged?
01:41And I went and looked in, he wasn't there. And I was like, look, I'm going to have to
01:47go and check that he's okay. Went to his home. Next thing, he didn't answer the door.
01:53Couldn't get through. Could see his window was open. Looked through the window and unfortunately
01:58he was lying on the floor in disarray, like an absolute mess. And the next thing I knew
02:05I was climbing through his window. We had Naloxone with us. I was with one of my support
02:11workers and she was great as well. Like we work in a team that's like, we have each other.
02:19And we had to climb through his window and I had to give him Naloxone. It was just like
02:24amazing that we, and Barry, I'm not supposed to say his name, but he forever thanks us.
02:32And that was only six months ago and he is alive and he totally thanks us all the time.
02:37So you're saving people's lives?
02:39A hundred percent. And that is ultimately the best thing that I'll ever think about
02:44my job is saving people's lives, but not even saving people's lives, but just being there
02:50for people and trying my best.
02:53Well done. Where are you going to keep it?
02:55I don't know. I'm so, so pleased. This is unreal.
02:59That's lovely. Congratulations.
03:01Thank you so much.
03:02Well done.
03:03We're here with Aaron Smith, NHS Forth Valley winner of the Volunteer Award. So congratulations.
03:09Thank you so much.
03:10Can you tell me what it means to you to win the award?
03:13Yeah, it's fantastic. I mean, I'm a first responder with the Scottish Ambulance Service
03:17in NHS Forth Valley. I'm one of many hundreds that volunteer across Scotland day in, day
03:22out to help the Scottish Ambulance Service and help patients at their time of need. It's
03:26a really unique type of volunteering and I would really encourage anyone that's interested
03:31in healthcare to look at the Scottish Ambulance Service for any volunteering opportunities.
03:34Excellent. So you pretty much answered everything that I was going to say. So thank you very
03:38much.
03:39Great. Thanks so much.
03:40This is Alison Stevenson, who's just won the Unsung Hero Award. You work at the Loughrie
03:45Community Hospital. Congratulations. What does it mean to you to win this award?
03:49Well, it's absolutely amazing. I didn't even know I was up for the award.
03:53Did you not?
03:54I thought the emails were scammed.
03:56Oh, really?
03:57I actually spoke to somebody else and then, obviously, a couple of my colleagues had the
04:01award as well, which is Karen and Debbie, who work in reception.
04:06Excellent.
04:07So I'm just amazed, absolutely amazed.
04:09And it's the Unsung Hero Award. Do you think there are a lot of people in the NHS that
04:14are unsung?
04:15Yes, definitely.
04:16Yes.
04:17The day I go above and beyond what I'm supposed to do, I just do what I think I want to do.
04:26And I don't think I deserve an award for doing what I think is correct and what I'm brought
04:32up to do, basically.
04:34Doing your job. So what do you do on a daily basis?
04:36I'm actually the ward clerk. I help out in the ward. If the belt buzzes are going off,
04:42I jump in and help the healthcare system out. I help in reception. I basically help everywhere.
04:48You do everything. That's why you got an award. Congratulations.
04:51Thank you very much.
04:52Thanks.
04:53Talking to us. Well done.