Thumbs up for Kabita
Kabita Pun was one of countless nurses who went above and beyond the call of duty during the pandemic
One of several nurses put forward for this Year’s Nursing Times Awards is Kabita Pun who impressed colleagues with her can-do attitude and willingness to step up into a more senior role.
The band five nurse had yet to complete her specialist intensive care training when the first wave struck taking on responsibility for a six bed bay under the guidance of more experienced colleagues.
Intensive care treated more than 300 patients during its busiest period from April-May 2020 when the nurse-patient ratio rose to 1:1 to 1:4 as Covid-19 admissions increased.
Senior ICU nurse Marvin Santos said: “We were all impressed by Kabita. She always had a smile on her face and was willing to go the extra mile. She is a good team player and modest enough to ask for advice when she needed it. I consider her a great asset to our unit."
Kabita also helped to supervise some of the 200 nurses drafted into ICU from other specialisms.
She was aware of the need for redeployed staff to feel part of the team and actively gave them tasks to complete as well as providing moral support. She personally greeted new team members at the beginning of each shift explaining the plan of action and asked for honest feedback at the end of the shift so she could best meet their needs.
Kabita completed her formal ICU training to become a Band Six nurse during the second wave. We wish her all the best and hope she gets short-listed for the awards later this year.