'Inspiring' Cambridgeshire ambulance technician dedicated to improving palliative care awarded

Deenah Elswaf, who is based in Huntingdon, won the 'Excellence in Patient Care' award at the East of England Ambulance Service NHS Trust’s (EEAST) Stars of EEAST awards, held on Thursday 11 September.

Deenah was nominated by colleagues for her exceptional dedication, compassion, and commitment to improving the quality of care for patients receiving palliative and end-of-life care.

The issue is close to Deenah's heart, after a personal bereavement where she saw substandard care and its devastating impact. She channelled this experience into transforming clinical practice in the ambulance service, developing a comprehensive training programme for frontline ambulance clinicians.

Deenah's sessions, which were all developed in her own personal time, cover topics such as:

• Recognising and managing palliative emergencies
• Understanding the different presentations of end-of-life care
• Supporting clinicians in having difficult conversations and breaking bad news
• Navigating access to hospice and community support services, both in and out of hours

The training has received praise from staff across EEAST, who say it has improved their clinical knowledge and enabled them to better support palliative and end-of-life patients and their families during their hardest moments.

With the help of EEAST's Quality Improvement team, her training has been adopted across the Trust.

Deenah said: "I appreciated being part of the awards, and am very thankful to my colleagues in Huntingdon, and my managers for the support – none of this would have been achieved without them.

"End of life care touches all our lives at some point and it is a big struggle for our staff both personally and professionally. Acknowledging we are only human is the first step in removing the stigmas surrounding death. I believe providing better training in this subject not only aids palliative patients but allows us to understand and support each other in very difficult situations."

Deenah is currently on the student paramedic pathway to becoming a fully qualified paramedic.

Neill Moloney, EEAST Chief Executive, said: "Deenah is an incredibly deserving winner of the 'Excellence in Patient Care' award. She is an inspiring clinician who exemplifies what it means to go above and beyond in patient care. Her work is already making a lasting difference, and she is an asset to the ambulance service and her community."

Photo caption: Deenah Elswaf (centre) receiving her award from Chief Operating Officer Darren Meads (left) and CEO Neill Moloney.