Tuberculosis Specialist Nurse Debbie Alder has won a Cavell Star Award for going above and beyond for her patients. Colleague and Service Lead for Norfolk Community Health and Care NHS Trust Alison Coxon explains why Debbie is a worthy winner,
“Debbie is a very experienced community district nurse with experience from early in her career working within a TB specialist service. In August 2020 early in the COVID pandemic she took up a lone specialist nursing post for TB in central north and south Norfolk. The service needed significantly updating with its processes pathways and with a passion for safe effective and compassionate care Debbie has turned the service completely around, meanwhile working any spare hours (and more) supporting her local district nurse team to see them through incredibly difficult times with sick staff and patients suffering with COVID.
“She has worked closely with local acute hospitals, community health and social care providers, for particularly vulnerable adults and children with complex health social and cultural situations to provide what has become an enhanced and high quality addition to the TB pathway in Norfolk and wider. I really feel she deserves recognition for her dedication to an often forgotten population of people, whilst passionately advocating for clinical quality and excellence and undertaking further self development training as an independent preacher to offer even more to her patients.
“She is a very proud nurse, is a mentor to as many students as she can possibly support, and a true advocate for Nursing. She is always positive and offers her time, support and care to her colleagues and anyone who needs help. This dedication should truly be celebrated and I am proud to have been witness to her work.”