Yvonne Holliday, Domestic Superintendent from Northumbria Healthcare Facilities Management (NHFM), was recently shortlisted in the national Cleaning Excellence Awards in the category ‘Going Above and Beyond’.
The Cleaning Excellence Awards highlight those who contribute towards maintaining high levels of excellence throughout the cleaning and hygiene sector.
Yvonne started her career at Hexham General Hospital 42 years ago as domestic before progressing into management to uphold the standards of cleanliness in the hospital. Her thorough understanding of how cleanliness and patient care are linked, and the potentially harmful impact that a drop in standards can have on those who are vulnerable, has guided her into the role of Domestic Superintendent.
Throughout her career, Yvonne has consistently gone above and beyond to support the hospital. When the first wave of Covid hit, Yvonne volunteered to live in a hotel for four months so she could continue working to keep the hospital a safe environment for patients whilst not putting her elderly parents at risk who she lived with at the time.
She also took on an additional role at a local health centre whilst the team were going through the recruitment process to find someone permanent. This meant arriving at 4:30am before starting her shift at Hexham at 6:00am. While there is now someone permanently appointed to the role, she continues to support them by covering any absences due to sickness or annual leave.
Alongside the physical work she takes on, her excellent leadership skills are shown through the support she gives to her team of domestics. Whether this is helping them through personal issues or making workplace adjustments to create an environment for everyone to thrive.
After recruiting a member of staff with autism who was initially struggling, she contacted the Autism Society and put herself through an online course to develop her understanding of how she could support them. The confidence of the staff member grew, and a strong working relationship developed between them.
Speaking about her shortlist, Yvonne said: “I’m extremely grateful to have been shortlisted for a national award and it’s not something I ever expected. Every day I come to work, my goal is to create an environment that is supportive of the patients coming into hospital so their experience is as pleasant as possible.
“If there’s a job that needs doing or a team that needs extra support we just have to adapt to the situation. When we’re all working together it leads to better outcomes so to me it makes sense to do things beyond what is expected of me.”
Brian Cowan, Chief Operating Officer of NHFM, said: “We are all incredibly proud of Yvonne for this achievement. Over the years, her dedication to protecting our hospitals and our communities has been astounding and she has proven to be a positive role model to her team. People like Yvonne keep the systems running within our organisation which is a vital part of delivering high quality care to our patients.”
The awards ceremony take place on 4 December in Coventry and we wish Yvonne the best of luck.