We’re thrilled that one of our Walsall Healthcare nurses has won a BBC WM radio heroes award – just in time for International Nurses’ Day!

Chief Executive of the University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundations Trust Dame Julie Moore announced Healthcare Assistant Diane Harvey as the winner and said:

“At a time when this individual could be putting her feet up and having a hard earned rest she chose to go and work on the front line and even after being told that age was a significant factor she chose to go and work on the first covid ward”.

Diane started her career working as a catering assistant at Walsall General Hospital in 1973 on Robert Forest Ward and moved across to Walsall Manor Hospital in 1989 when the General Hospital closed.

Here at Walsall Healthcare NHS Trust Diane handed out and collected the menus from patients on the wards – and this is when she decided that she wanted to work as a healthcare assistant looking after patients.

When Diane was 50 years old she qualified to work as a healthcare assistant, working in the outpatient clinics and on the wards until she retired. She loved the job so much that she decided to go back to work on the Nurse Bank.

During the covid-19 pandemic she volunteered to work on the wards from the very beginning not knowing what she was walking into but determined that she was going to care for Covid patients. And she has been working across all the hospital wards since.

Her daughter, Wendy Harvey who also works at the trust in the Cancer Services department nominated her mum for the BBC WM Heroes Award. She said:

“I wanted to nominate my mum because all she cared about was going in to the hospital to look after the covid patients since the start of the pandemic, working more hours and working nights on the nurse bank.

“The feedback that she received from colleagues on the wards always used to say that Diane was a hard worker and never stops working from the minute that she walks on to the wards.”

Diane had no idea that she had been nominated and said:

“I was so shocked when I found out I was nominated for the top three call of duty category. I was excited and nervous when I had the phone call from the BBC WM radio station for an interview.

“I am only doing a job that I love and am happy to have won the award. I also want to say that this award is not just for me but for everyone at the Manor; they all deserve an award, they are all amazing.”