Florinda has proved to be an exceptional team leader and infection control lead since taking a role of a senior sister in ITU a little more than a year ago. Florinda has become an extraordinarily compassionate critical care nurse, team leader, and colleague. Her leadership skills have been heightened in the last six months when all ITU team leaders were tasked to organise team away days as a way of team building, making nursing staff feel supported and engaged as we gradually emerge out of the pandemic. Florinda gracefully organised two team away days where she rostered all nurses within her team to work on the same shift, and the feedback has been uplifting. The team days have been highly successful and have inspired other team leaders to organise such days. Some team members have been pressing for their team leaders to organise a similar event for their teams. One of the activities for Florinda’s team day was to write compliments for each team member on a board, and it was heart-warming for the whole team when relatives of patients in ITU also joined in writing compliments.

Generally, Florinda’s compassion for staff wellbeing is effortless; she has been a member of the driving force behind the ITU peer support group. The peer support group was recently launched in ITU by a group of critical care staff that include HCA, Doctors and nurses. The aim of the group is to provide restorative support to all staff through compassionate conversation with a trained peer support team member.  The peer support group is of great help to ITU, considering how staff health and well-being are essential to the quality of care provided to patients, it can affect clinical effectiveness, compassion, and professionalism.

Florinda is also the infection control lead for the critical care department, and she is a highly creative leader who approaches every infection control issue with curiosity and a can-do attitude. Florinda is very thoughtful about challenges and project to take; she will be the first to be honest to herself and to others if she is not ready for a challenge or if she doesn’t have the skills. If Florinda decides to take on a project she will go above and beyond to accomplish it through engaging with the right people in the process and always having what is best for the patients, family, and staff in mind.

Away from work, Florinda supports her friends who are also work colleagues with child minding and gardening. She has also played a pivotal part in organising the summer barbeque party for ITU along site another senior colleague.

Florinda’s passion for nursing and for people outside work is evident in everything she does, and it is a privilege to work with her. She is our very own ‘Florence Nightingale’ she works very hard in making sure that everyone around her is supported in becoming a better healthcare professional, and her commitment deserves to be recognised.