Fay Sinclair – Unsung Hero Awards

Nomination

Award Category:

Corporate Services

Individual or Team Nomination?

Individual

Qualifying Qualities

In these challenging times, nominators were asked to show how the nominee had demonstrated the following qualities:

Exceptional work ethic - going above and beyond their job description, especially in the past 12 months.
Outstanding achievement/s in work or outside of the organisation where relevant.
Drive for innovation and proactive leadership in these challenging times.
High level of interpersonal skills, such as kindness, empathy, loyalty and thoughtfulness to staff and patients.
A resilience considering Covid to their role and to the health and wellbeing of their colleagues.

Nominators Answer

Nominee's story :

In November 2019, Fay stepped up from head of communications into a maternity cover of assistant director of communications. This meant our team lost a senior staff member, with Fay becoming two roles, line managing 11 people. Within a month of taking on this role, the rumblings of COVID-19 began and our whole world changed. Fay is the dictionary definition of an unsung hero. During the whole pandemic, Fay continuously went above and beyond. The team moved to home working, so she had to line-manage and support the health and wellbeing of the team from behind a computer screen, while also working every hour sent and supporting her own family at home, during a time in history with a lot of unknowns affecting everyone. The pressure of communicating effectively during COVID-19, with the ever changing guidance and information as the situation grew and progressed, led to the team and Fay working long hours and long days in the beginning, with Fay picking up a lot of the weight when we would all log off, often starting at 6 or 7am and not finishing until 10 or 11pm at night, and doing the same day after day, including weekends. I don’t think anyone joins the NHS to get thrown into a situation like the COVID-19 pandemic. Fay has been a shining light of enthusiasm, encouragement and leadership; supporting the team, liaising with the directors of the trust and working in a high-pressure environment and all with a smile on her face the whole time. Her support and guidance completely embraced the team, with the buck always stopping with her if there was a problem, but all feedback and compliments being shared by the whole team if we were praised for our work and response to the challenging environment. I can’t think of anyone better to receive this award, she is so deserving. Without Fay, the whole team could have crumbled, but we worked so effectively under the pressure and constant changes that COVID bought during the last 12 months. Without Fay, I know the pandemic would have been a lot more difficult for me and I’m sure the rest of the team agree. The kindness and empathy she has shown to each member of our team and the unique situation they are all in behind closed doors while working from home. She has regularly encouraged us all to take time for ourselves whenever the pressure or stress has become too much. Fay whole-heartedly deserves to be recognised for her hard work and dedication during this period of time, especially as this Summer she will be leaving her role at KCHFT and is joining the Kent and Medway CCG with a very deserved promotion to assistant director of communications and engagement. She is the heart of our team and is going to be massively missed when she leaves.