Biomedical Scientist rewarded for patient care

Michelle Lineham, a biomedical scientist at Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, has won a You Made a Difference Award. This award aims to reward and recognise individual staff members who have 'made a difference' to patients, visitors or colleagues.

In 2013 Michelle joined the Point of Care team at Addenbrooke’s Hospital, providing diagnostic testing outside of the conventional laboratory, the majority of which is at the patient bedside. A year later she progressed to Deputy Team Lead.

Michelle explained, “My role involves deputising for the service lead and helping to manage the team, whilst also continuing to help with the running of the laboratories and writing of the roster to ensure full-service coverage. I am heavily involved in the training of end users, giving presentations at induction to each new intake of qualified staff, which can range from groups of 70 to 100; and also training of end users in smaller groups and one to ones where necessary.

I was given the role of training officer just over a year ago, and sought to gain IBMS accreditation for our POCT department as a training laboratory for the certificate of competence, so that we could begin to take on trainee biomedical scientists and train them in point of care testing as a stand-alone ‘laboratory’ service.

I was very surprised and touched to be nominated for the trust-wide ‘You Made a Difference Award’ for my training ability and supportiveness. Once nominated, I discovered that the team had got together to submit several nominations which was overwhelming. It was a lovely gesture and great to be appreciated in this way by the team, however, it was even more overwhelming to hear that I had actually won the award, considering I was up against 64 other nominees across the hospital.

On the day the award was presented by the Chief Executive of the Trust, and it was so nice and quite emotional to hear all of the lovely things that my colleagues had written in their nominations."    

Michelle’s hospital praised her online, saying, “Michelle's work has helped the laboratory to achieve a Health and Care Professions Council accreditation – this means the team can work with the Institute of Biomedical Science to train new biomedical scientists. They are the only point of care team in the country to achieve this training accreditation.”

One of her nominations said, “Michelle’s thirst for knowledge has seen her become a highly specialised biomedical scientist. She’s recognised as an approachable and supportive member of the team.”

Michelle’s future plans include finishing her MSc in Biomedical Science with Nottingham Trent University. Professionally she aims to produce a Point of Care Testing Specialist Portfolio that her hospital’s biomedical scientists can complete as part of their CPD.

She added, “I am also hoping to raise money and awareness for the Harvey’s Gang charity in recognition of Biomedical Science Day whilst also celebrating and raising awareness of biomedical science based roles in pathology, by setting up a cake stall in the hospital to enable the team to speak to patients, visitors and other staff members about what we do.”

We wish Michelle congratulations on this award and wish her the best of luck in her future plans.