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Heartbeat: Cheryl Shepherd is awarded the Shiela Lorimer Award

October 22, 2020

The Shiela Lorimer award is an annual award, presented to a nurse on the acute medical unit (AMU), in memory of Acute Medicine Nurse Practitioner, Shiela Lorimer who sadly passed away in 2013.

Shiela worked in our organisation for over 20 years. She was the first nurse to start nurse-led discharge and medical clerking which has led to advanced nurses discharging patients out of hours on all the medical wards; helping immensely with bed capacity, flow and patient experience. This award is to salute her work but also to recognise young nurses like Shiela, who want to develop themselves, be the best nurse possible and deliver high-quality care.

This year the award was presented to Cheryl Shepherd, who has been part of our organisation since 1993.

Cheryl has worked in acute medicine for five years and has been a senior sister in AMU for nine months. After qualifying in 1993 at Dudley Road Hospital, Cheryl worked in acute respiratory medicine and then made a move to manage a team at the National Blood Service before finally branching into critical care. She has a diploma in Health Service Management and a BSc in Nursing.

AMU Consultant and Deputy Medical Director, Sarb Clare told Heartbeat why Cheryl was the standout candidate for the award this year.

“This award is recognition of nursing excellence and Cheryl demonstrates these qualities every day and truly shone through during the pandemic.

“Cheryl is passionate about ambulatory care and passionate about her patients – she a true leader who takes her team with her. She is well-loved by the entire team and is an inspiration to all of us.

Cheryl said: “I’m humbled to receive this award. I just come in every day to do my job the best way I can, so this recognition is truly unexpected and amazing. I couldn’t have achieved all that I have without the support of the entire team. I am truly proud to work with such lovely, committed colleagues. I humbly accept this award and will continue the great work that Shiela started here years ago.”