Nurse and Acting Team Lead for Primary Care Ifat Iqbal from HMP Chelmsford has won a Cavell Star Award for going above and beyond for her colleagues.
Colleague and Head of Healthcare at HCRG Care Group Paula Unwin explains why Ifat is such a deserving winner.
“Ifat came to the UK through an international recruitment drive on her own with no family support. Despite this she strived to be the best nurse she could be and in addition supported the other colleagues that had been recruited from all across the world. Shortly after starting at the prison, Ifat faced an incident where a patient sadly died. Although it affected her emotionally, she used this experience to devise a template on to make reporting easier for anyone else that found themselves dealing with an emergency situation. She knew how tough she had found it, reliving the experience to ensure comprehensive documentation was written, and didn’t want others to go through this.
“All of the management team were so proud of her and amazed at her outstanding coping mechanism to turn a tragedy into a positive change, not for herself but for her whole team. She is an inspiration and a true nurse who always has others at the forefront of her mind. She continues to work hard, breaking down any barriers in her way all the while being polite and promoting HCRG in a positive way. As a result, Ifat is now the acting Team Leader of Primary care.”
Ifat reacted to winning her Cavell Star Award.
“It’s a huge shock in the best possible way! Working as a nurse in a prison has been a challenging yet rewarding journey. Coming to this country as an international nurse was not easy and receiving the Cavell Star Award was both a huge surprise and an honour. This recognition means a lot it reflects the incredible support of my colleagues without whom I wouldn’t be who I am today.
“My team means everything to me. Working in a prison can be intense and unpredictable and it’s the people around you who make it manageable and sometimes even enjoyable. We rely on each other, laugh together and get through the toughest days as one. They’ve been my support system since day one helping me adjust, not just to a new workplace but to a new country and culture. We might have our moments of chaos but that’s what makes us strong.”
