Noel Holmes Hospital toasts outstanding staff
Published:Friday | January 24, 2025 | 12:06 AMBryan Miller/Gleaner Writer
WESTERN BUREAU:
Thirteen staff members from the Noel Holmes Hospital in Lucea, Hanover, were honoured for their outstanding service at an awards ceremony on Wednesday.
The awardees, representing various departments at the hospital, were recognised for their exceptional performance throughout 2024. They were each presented with awards and surprise gift packages after meeting the criteria established by the hospital’s management committee.
Everton Crooks from the Maintenance Department was named Worker of the Year, with Shavel Scarlet from the Medical Records Department emerging the first runner-up and Dr Paul Garraway as the second runner-up.
“It brings me great delight to know that I have been selected as the top staff member for 2024. It is really a joyful moment for me to know that I am being recognised for the work that I have put in,” Crooks told The Gleaner.
“This will further motivate me to continue to give of my best. In my department, we always try to achieve good results. I will never change, and I am sure that as a team, we all will continue to give of our best,” he added.
Donovan Hamilton, the chairman of the Noel Holmes Hospital Management Committee, expressed his pride in the hospital staff’s continued excellence. He highlighted the staff’s commitment to going above and beyond, noting that their dedication stems from a genuine love for the people they serve.
“Having gone there, having rubbed shoulders with them, having talked with them, I have realised that we have a number of persons there who are prepared to go beyond the call of duty, to make an impression, and these are workers who have done what they have done, and continue to do, out of love for people,” Hamilton told The Gleaner.
Hamilton also outlined plans for further improving the hospital’s infrastructure and environment, emphasising the importance of creating a comfortable, friendly space for both staff and patients.
“I have always believed that for persons to feel comfortable at work, the environment must be conducive to work. You cannot put on your clean, nice clothes and go to work in a dirty environment. If it (the environment) is toxic, it is not going to work. You want an environment where there is friendliness and camaraderie, where you feel at home,” added Hamilton.
Lucea Deputy Mayor Andrea Dehaney-Grant lauded the awardees and the other staff members for the work they have been doing to meet the healthcare needs of the people of the parish.
“I sincerely hope that this gesture today will motivate you to continue to do your best,” she said while urging them to always strive to make the Noel Holmes Hospital the best healthcare facility in the country.
Several sectional awards were also handed out at Wednesday’s ceremony, which was held at the Global Villa Hotel and Conference Centre in Esher, Hanover. The other awardees were Kareen McIntosh (housekeeping); George Robinson (security); registered nurse Demetrian Hudson; registered midwife Nadine Smart; registered midwife Sophia James; dietician Suzzette Norton; Donovan Campbell (transport); Kerisha James (laboratory); and Darryl Webley (X-ray).