Eileen Slattery & Spartacus – Unsung Hero Awards

Nomination

Award Category:

Volunteer of the year

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 :

Canine therapy wasn't really heard of many years ago but I would like to share with you the magical story of one truly amazing and hard working dog called Spartacus and his owner and handler Eileen. The below shows you the dedication and hard work from our pawsome duo. Our lovely Spartacus started his volunteering journey with his handler Eileen Slattery in 2019. He came to our Trust to bring comfort and support to patients and staff. Right up until this day Eileen and Spartacus has made a fantastic impact with staff and patients. Eileen and Spartacus's dedication of support to children, adults and staff in need is second to none and their passion shines throughout. Eileen has suffered the loss of her mum, friend and brother in a short space of time but during this through her dedication and passion she and Spartacus have carried on putting staff and patients first bring much joy to those in need even though she was going through a tough time herself. She has supported staff and patients within our trust in lots of various ways especially around their mental and physical wellbeing. It has been seen that the therapy she brings with Spartacus has been a life line to many. Please find below one of the many lovely feedbacks we have about Spartacus and Eileen- "Wow. I've never met Spartacus and his wonderful owner before and me and my team were not prepared for the magic he would bring with him. His visit touched everyone staff, visitors and patients. I had requested the visit for a patient who was quite low in mood but every single patient on the ward were generously given Spartacus's time and attention. It was very emotional and beautiful to see a patient who didn't speak say full sentences in his company" "I would describe the effect Spartacus had on a lady near the end of life as a miracle. She had not had her eyes open for more than a couple of seconds for days and had her loving family surrounding her when Spartacus arrived. The lady was wide awake in his company full of smiles. She petted and fed him treats and the family got lots of precious photos of this which they later told me they sent to family around the world. I would like to say a huge thank you for an unforgettable day" Feedback above from a Deputy Ward Manager The above feedback shows the commitment and love Eileen and Spartacus have to help others. What a special understanding they have. Spartacus can sense when people are low and knows how to make them happy and feel at ease, he has shown this many times. This demonstrates the power canines can bring and the impact they can have on staff and patients. Eileen and Spartacus has been described as miracles and life changing and are a true inspiration to many through their sheer dedication and hard work.