Yvonne Williams is named Hero of the Month for June at Whittle Hall
Senior advanced practitioner Yvonne Williams has been named Hero of the Month for June at Whittle Hall in Warrington. As well as working extended shifts and picking up extra shifts throughout the Covid 19 pandemic, Yvonne has been going home and making brightly coloured sets of scrubs for her colleagues.
So far she has made 71 sets of scrubs and she’s still getting requests for more. Yvonne taught herself to sew when she took it up as a hobby aged 16. Then when her daughter attended dance school she started to make their costumes, it wasn’t long before that turned into making costumes of the whole class and when dance schools got together to perform she made 200 costumes for a show. She decided to make scrubs for herself and colleagues on the dementia plus unit, because when the government imposed PPE rules and staff had to wear masks, she saw that it was upsetting for some residents who didn’t understand and had difficulty recognising staff members. So, she made some colourful scrubs that were different for each staff member. They were all made in brightly patterned fabrics, some with cartoon characters on them.
‘ I got a lot of pleasure seeing my scrubs make a difference’ said Yvonne ‘ Seeing how they made people smile, seeing residents feel more comfortable with staff wearing them, and knowing that they made staff feel differently wearing them, made it all worthwhile. They became a daily talking point and people were starting to really look forward to what design was coming next.’
When asked how she felt about winning the award Yvonne said ‘ I cried. I don’t do praise that well. I’m more of a giver than a receiver.’
Yvonne has been nominated by her daughter Kirstie, who said, ‘ I want to nominate my mum Yvonne Williams as one of your heroes. She has used her evenings after work and all of her days off to make sure the staff at whittle Hall all have bright colourful scrubs. She has gone above and beyond and has the kindest heart. She doesn’t realise that what she has done is so amazing and incredibly talented. I think, and I’m sure everyone would agree that she deserves this. Thank you.
‘‘What Yvonne has done for staff at Whittle Hall has been truly amazing.’ Said Deborah Payne Home manager. The time and effort she’s put into making scrubs for everyone is truly awesome. She was a clear winner.’
Yvonne is from Warrington and has two daughters and five grandchildren. She has been working in the care sector for the last 20 years, but only joined Whittle Hall in January 2020.
L&M Healthcare launched the Hero of the Month awards in May this year. They were specially set up to recognise the amazing efforts of their staff who have not just gone above and beyond, but have become their very own versions of national hero Captain Tom. Well done Yvonne. You have been truly amazing. What a difference you have made to a lot of people’s lives.
