St George’s nurse, Ediscyll Lorusso is, so rightfully so, in the running for Our Health Hero’s ‘National Lifetime Achievement’ Award. Ediscyll’s achievements, particularly at the age of just 44, are remarkable.

Ediscyll joined St George’s University Hospitals NHS Trust as a newly qualified nurse when she was 21, back in 2000. Coming from the Philippines, she had a harder start to her career in NHS nursing than most as she faced homesickness and adjusting to the temperate British climate. Since then, St George’s has been immensely proud of Ediscyll’s achievements in her time at the Trust.

Ediscyll’s dedication to Thrombosis prevention awareness lead to the Trust being acknowledged as one of the Exemplar Sites for Venous ThromboEmbolism (VTE) prevention in the Houses of Parliament. Ediscyll was subsequently invited to participate in the All Party Parliamentary Thrombosis Group (APPTG) and has attended meetings with MPs and NHS bosses in the House of Commons every year since 2010. This nomination and prestigious work comes off the back of Ediscyll being a passionate advocate for thrombosis prevention, organising regular campaigns, study days, teaching sessions, and other initiatives for both staff and the community.

In 2012, she helped launch a UK first at St George’s – the Joint Thrombosis Nurse and Midwife clinic. Her innovation quickly caught the attention of the Department of Health and health authorities around the world, having presented her work to thousands of healthcare professionals and policymakers at conferences in USA, Canada, Australia and Singapore.

Robert Bleasdale, Chief Nurse at St George’s University Hospitals Trust, said:

“Among the many thousands of nurses nationwide with incredible achievements, Ediscyll’s achievements really do stand out.

“Ediscyll has been central to St George’s reputation for innovation and excellence in thrombosis care and prevention for many years now and has touched countless lives through her pioneering work.

“In addition to her impressive track record of clinical achievements, Ediscyll is an ambassador for her profession and passionate advocate for Filipino communities across the UK. She truly is an inspiration and we are very proud of her.”

Aside from being a full-time nurse and a mum to two young children, Ediscyll volunteers for various Black Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) networks related to healthcare, including Freedom To Speak Up and Philippine Nurses Association-UK, which provides pastoral welcome packages for newly arrived nurses from Philippines. Ediscyll is also active in the wider community, visiting schools to inspire and educate young children to enter the nursing profession.

Ediscyll Lorusso, Senior Thrombosis Nurse Specialist Practitioner and Our Health Heroes National Lifetime Contribution award nominee said:

“I love working as a nurse and knowing that I make a positive difference in my patients’ lives gives me great job satisfaction and a huge sense of achievement.

“As an overseas nurse at the age of 44, to be in the running for the national lifetime achievement award for the Our Health Heroes award is such a huge honour. I would like to extend my indebtedness appreciation to my past and present colleagues who took the time to make this nomination. I am deeply humbled to represent all the extraordinary, hardworking and selfless nurses all over the world who work intensely every day and especially during the pandemic.  This is a collective success for all of us.”

The Skills for Health Our Health Heroes lifetime contribution award is sponsored by NHS Employers and the winner will be announced at a special ceremony at London Science Museum on 24th March. Show your support for St George’s Senior Thrombosis Clinical Nurse Specialist Ediscyll Lorusso by casting your vote before 4th February here: https://bit.ly/3mVkISP

 

ENDS

Notes to Editors:

About Skills for Health Our Health Heroes Awards

Skills for Health have been championing the voices of the UK healthcare workforce since 2002. As the Sector Skills Council for Health, we have collaborated with thousands of NHS and healthcare providers to develop solutions that improve skills, jobs, and roles to achieve better patient outcomes.

Our Health Heroes was created to champion real people, who are at the heart of our healthcare system. Now more than ever we need to celebrate and say ‘thank you’ to the thousands of unsung heroes up and down the country.

Now in its sixth year, we can’t wait to welcome some of the incredible shining stars of the health and care sectors, to a glittering awards ceremony at the London Science Museum as we reveal who are the winners of the Our Health Heroes Awards 2022.

Our Health Heroes Awards 2022 is sponsored by Health Education England, SFJ Awards, NHS Employers, UNISON and Bevan Brittan.