Prestigious award for Arch nurse

This award comes after almost 20 years in community nursing which started in Manchester where Hannah trained and worked as a district nurse in some of the UK’s most deprived neighbourhoods whilst helping to launch the charity Justlife. Moving into practice nursing, Hannah worked in a GP surgery in Levenshulme and from there established a nurse-led outreach clinic in east Manchester for men and women experiencing homelessness, before returning to her home town of Brighton in 2012 where she now works as an Advanced Nurse Practitioner at Arch Healthcare.

Arch Healthcare is Brighton’s GP surgery exclusively for people facing homelessness and housing insecurity. Arch patients often face significant health challenges that come with homelessness. Through her work, Hannah has demonstrated consistent, exceptional levels of care with Arch patients, as well as the wider homeless community in Brighton.
Hannah was a passionate member of the team in the privately-run homeless GP surgery which was in place before Arch was created. Faced with the closure of this service, and the prospect of dispersing 1200 vulnerably housed patients, Hannah joined with a small group of dedicated clinicians and specialists to create Arch and take over the running of the service in February 2017. Since then the service has delivered around 60,000 patient consultations, developed new working practices and achieved an ‘outstanding’ rating from the Care Quality Commission (CQC).

March 2020 threw up exceptional challenges for Arch patients. At the start of lockdown, amid much uncertainty, Hannah took a lead role, working with Arch colleagues and partners across the city in order to establish the successful TRIAGE-COHORT-PROTECT-CARE model. This ensured everyone in the city was moved into suitable accommodation to enable them to isolate and/or recover safely. Hannah then worked with partners to coordinate daily visits to ensure general wellbeing as well as addressing specific health needs.

In January 2021, Arch took a lead role in the Covid vaccination roll out in the city, at a central site. Hannah again worked with local charity partners in order to provide and deliver a mobile Covid-19 vaccination outreach service, liaising strategically with key accommodation providers in order to vaccinate almost 1000 people experiencing homelessness throughout the city.

As part of the Covid recovery programme Hannah has been instrumental in creating a new Step Down beds service, in partnership with YMCA Downslink, Sussex Community Foundation Trust and Brighton & Hove City Council. This service provides a suitable place for people to fully recover when they are discharged from hospital without a permanent home to go to.

These innovative projects have all taken place alongside Hannah’s studies for a masters degree and her daily work at Arch Healthcare, providing a range of clinics and services to patients, throughout the pandemic and lockdowns. She has provided leadership, motivation, consistency and support to the surgery team, throughout staff changes and shortages as well as changes in regulations and protocols around working practices and infection control.

Tim Worthley, GP, Clinical Lead and Director at Arch Healthcare said, “No one could deserve this award more. Hannah is a kind and supportive leader, inclusive, experienced and unruffled – evidenced by her extremely successful work in partnership with a wide range of external organisations. She is a natural leader within the surgery, someone that the whole team can always feel comfortable in approaching as she is always happy to make time to support anyone in clinical, administrative or pastoral challenges. Her strong work ethic is an inspiration to the team, and her attitude is infectious – she empowers the team to have a sense of agency and responsibility; vital when everyone can have a huge effect on our patients’ experience of government/national institutions and their trust in “the system”.”

Lola Banjoko, Executive Managing Director at Brighton and Hove CCG said, “We want to thank Hannah for everything she has done to help people in Brighton and Hove stay healthy, especially during the challenges of the pandemic. This award is recognition of exceptional care to patients that Hannah has given throughout her career, and her continuing passion and enthusiasm for nursing. The community in Brighton and Hove is very lucky to have her undertaking such innovative projects and providing care for them, and we wish to thank her on their behalf too.”

Dr Crystal Oldman CBE, the QNI’s Chief Executive said, “Congratulations to Hannah on receiving the Outstanding Service Award. We were impressed by the testament of her colleagues and evidence of her many years exceptional service to individuals in the community. I am delighted that we are able to recognise her dedication to bring healthcare to some of the most vulnerable people in society.”

Hannah said, “I am absolutely bowled over to win this award, and would like to dedicate it to all the Arch staff and patients. They have taught me so much over the years. I look forward to continue working with them and supporting them for years to come.”

For further information and any press requests, please contact Louisa Barkla, Communications Coordinator at Arch Healthcare: louisa.barkla@nhs.net, 07928 128 056.