OKEHAMPTON has nominated its first Healthcare Hero, Fiona McGahey of Okehampton Hospital.

The Times has linked up with the Northern Devon Healthcare NHS Trust to find your Healthcare Heroes in the Okehampton area.

The awards, running for the second year, recognise staff who deserve to be rewarded for going above and beyond the call of duty. Fiona is the first nominee in the area.

She is the complex care team co-ordinator at the hospital, and was nominated for the award by colleague Amy Souster. She nominated Fiona for her dedication, patience and skill in her role.

Amy said: 'Fi is the most hardworking, knowledgeable, kind and dedicated person I've ever had the pleasure to work with.

'She deals with both the health and social care teams and has her finger on every pulse there is.

'Fi keeps us all up to date with any changes to any of our patients and seems to have an amazing memory to know exactly which team member is dealing with which patients, so she can inform us directly if we need to know anything from either team or from the acute trust.

'She fields a phenomenal amount of calls from patients, carers, healthcare workers, GPs, and always has patience, time and kindness for them in whatever situation they are in.

'Fi co-ordinates the rapid response work as well from our area and is always a rock to the patients and carers who are in dire straits at the point Fi deals with them.

'She is always calm, collected and very kind to them, checking above and beyond with them, and she doesn't appear to feel her intervention is done until there is literally no more she can offer them.

'Fi is admired and respected by the entire team and without her we definitely do not function as well. I really feel Fi deserves all the recognition we can give her for the massive role she plays in the whole function of the community health and social care team in Okehampton Hospital.'

The Northern Devon Healthcare NHS Trust manages Okehampton and Moretonhampstead hospitals as well as community nursing and therapy teams throughout the area, who care for people in their own homes.

The public are invited to contact the Times and nominate any member of trust staff, no matter what their job role.

The trust has about 4,500 employees across Devon and all are eligible for nomination, including nurses, doctors, healthcare assistants, therapists and support staff such as cleaners, porters and administrators.

The public are asked to e-mail Times reporter Tom French at [email protected]">[email protected], or via post at 8 East Street, Okehampton, EX20 1AS with their stories of how trust staff have provided exceptional care and support to them and their families.

The deadline for nominations is midnight on Tuesday, December 31.

The winners will be presented with their awards early in the New Year.