Two Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust staff have been hailed ‘Women of the Year’ in recognition of their response to the Manchester Arena Attack.
Shobha Manesh, a Scrub Nurse Practitioner, and Naomi Davis, a Consultant in Paediatric Orthopaedic Surgery accepted the awards on behalf of all women involved in the organisation’s response from the Duchess of Cornwall at a prestigious ceremony in London.
Shobha and Naomi were among a group of eight women at the ceremony representing Manchester’s emergency services, including staff from Greater Manchester Police, British Transport Police, the NHS and the North West Ambulance Service.
Naomi Davis, Consultant in Paediatric Orthopaedic Surgery, Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital
Naomi was at home when she heard the news of the attack. By 11.30pm she was at the trust, working non-stop until 4pm the following day.
She not only cared for those injured in the blast, but also their families, in some cases having to break bad news.
In the weeks following, Naomi, with her colleagues, continued to look after patients, many of which returned to theatre on many occasions.
Naomi demonstrated great leadership qualities and a level of personal resilience that was remarkable, supporting the teams she works with through a period of unprecedented pressure and challenge.
Shobha Manesh, Scrub Nurse Practitioner theatres at Wythenshawe Hospital
Shobha was on duty on May 22. As soon as she heard of the incident, she began to coordinate with colleagues how best to open the theatres in readiness for the anticipated casualties.
She rang her colleagues to bring in extra staff from home, she set up the teams needed, and ensured that the right resources were available in terms of personnel, skill-mix and equipment. Shoba liaised with the surgeons and anaesthetists and, despite the short notice and high pressure, was able to have three emergencies theatres running fully staffed; with a fourth theatre on standby.
Shoba worked above and beyond her expected duties and responsibilities supporting both junior and senior colleagues alike at a time of great stress for all. She was fully professional throughout the night enabling us to respond to the needs of the patients as they arrived in theatres and we are very proud of her.
Kathy Cowell, Chairman of Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust said: “We are incredibly proud of Naomi, Shobha and all of our dedicated staff for their actions, on the night and in the weeks that followed. The response was a team effort, from our support services through to our frontline medics, who all contributed during a period of immense pressure. They went above and beyond the call of duty, delivering the best care and support to our patients and their families and this recognition is incredibly well deserved.”