\n Valerie Tomlinson was named East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust\u2019s first-ever Star of the Month after winning a public vote with more than 1,400 votes cast.\n<\/p>\n
\n The award, which recognises staff who embody the trust\u2019s values and make a positive impact on patients and colleagues, was presented in a ceremony at the hospital.\n<\/p>\n
\n Ms Tomlinson said: “I’m really honoured to receive this award and completely surprised to have been nominated.\n<\/p>\n
\n “Looking after babies and supporting their families is a privilege.\n<\/p>\n
\n “I just try to treat every baby as if they were my own and give them the same care, love and attention that I would want for my own family.\n<\/p>\n
\n “This recognition means a lot, but it’s also a reflection of the fantastic team I work alongside every day in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU).”\n<\/p>\n
\n She was nominated by Chloe Dawson, whose son Tommy was born at just 25 weeks and three days on April 2, 2026, weighing only 1lb 12oz.\n<\/p>\n
\n Tommy spent 133 days in the NICU, during which time Ms Tomlinson became a familiar source of support and reassurance for the whole family.\n<\/p>\n
\n Ms Dawson described her as \u201cvibrant, kind and someone who warms up any room she\u2019s in.\u201d\n<\/p>\n
\n She said that Ms Tomlinson\u2019s positivity made a huge difference during difficult times, and that she cared for Tommy \u201chow you\u2019d love and care for your own children”.\n<\/p>\n
\n Ms Dawson said: “Valerie’s compassion, kindness and dedication helped make an incredibly challenging journey easier for our whole family.\n<\/p>\n
\n “We will always be grateful for the care she gave Tommy and the support she showed us.”\n<\/p>\n
\n The award was presented by Martin Hodgson, chief executive of East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust.\n<\/p>\n
\n Mr Hodgson said: “Technical skill and clinical excellence matter enormously, but what families often remember most is how somebody made them feel.\n<\/p>\n
\n “Valerie’s compassion, positivity and unwavering support left a lasting impact at a moment when it was needed most.\n<\/p>\n
\n “Colleagues within NICU tell me that many families remember Valerie by name long after they have left our care, perhaps the greatest compliment any healthcare professional can receive.\n<\/p>\n
\n “It was clear why Valerie\u2019s nomination resonated so strongly despite an exceptionally strong field.\n<\/p>\n
\n “She represents the very best of healthcare and, indeed, the very best of ELHT.”<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Valerie Tomlinson was named East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust\u2019s first-ever Star of the Month after winning a public…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":783143,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[43],"tags":[102,2960,56,54,55],"class_list":["post-783142","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-healthcare","tag-health","tag-healthcare","tag-uk","tag-united-kingdom","tag-unitedkingdom"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/783142","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=783142"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/783142\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/783143"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=783142"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=783142"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=783142"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}