Maidstone Hospital win Purple Iris Award

30 July, 2015

Maidstone Hospital’s stoma care team were revealed as the winners of the Colostomy Association’s Purple Iris Award at the charity’s 10th anniversary celebrations earlier this month.

The Colostomy Association’s Purple Iris Award is presented to stoma care departments that go to extraordinary efforts for their patients. This is only the second time the award has been presented since its introduction in 2013, having previously been awarded to St. Mary’s Hospital on the Isle of Wight.

This year’s awards featured many worthy nominees including Aberdeen Royal Infirmary, Colchester General Hospital, Princess Elizabeth Hospital in Guernsey and Salisbury District Hospital. However, Maidstone Hospital were presented with this year’s Purple Iris Award for the exceptional compassion and dedication of their stoma care team.

Kirsty Craven and Judith Mallett from Maidstone Hospital collected the award at the Colostomy Association’s 10th anniversary gala dinner.

In the nomination for the team, both nurses were praised for their level of care: ““Since my emergency colostomy in December 2012 both Kirsty and Judy provided over and above excellent care for me… They have comforted me, telephoned me at weekends and evenings to give me advice, and are always at the end of the phone…These two ladies have become rather like friends, but have also remained professional throughout.

“They have given my husband support and answered questions from both of us and they always attend my appointments with my consultant or registrar to lend support and offer advice… They have often written to my GP to change my prescriptions and let me try different bags to find the right one for me. On occasion when I have attended A&E they have always come down to the department to see how I am and they call me at home too… These ladies have been instrumental in helping me accept my stoma and I know if I end up with a permanent colostomy they will continue to support me and my family through the next stage.”

Speaking about winning the award, Kirsty Craven and Judith Mallett said: ‘We are delighted and honoured to have recieved the Purple Iris Award. We feel it is a very special achievement as the nomination has come from patients we have looked after. We believe passionately about providing a high standard of care for patients, their families and carers. that we have had the privilege to look after’.