A TEAM leader at the the Robert Jones and Agnes Hunt Orthopaedic Hospital has been honoured for her ‘great ability to bring out the best in staff’ – winning April’s Health Hero Award.

Tara Bright is part of the Clinical Coding team at the Oswestry-based hospital and has been nominated by Victoria Brownrigg, head of financial management and costing, who hailed her for embedding the Trusts core purpose into her day-to-day work.

The Clinical Coding department are responsible for translating medical terminology into codes using national and international classifications. This data is then used to determine how much the Trust gets paid for the work it does.

Victoria said: “Tara always goes the extra mile for Clinical Coding by ensuring the team are fully supported.

“Myself and Jan Makinson, Clinical Coding manager, have often witnessed her great ability to train and bring out the best in staff, which has been especially important over the past 18 months with periods of maternity leave in the department.

“She also provides fantastic feedback to clinical colleagues regarding coding to ensure the Trust is accurately reimbursed for the excellent patient care.

“It would be fantastic to see Tara highlighted for her greatest strength which is caring for staff.”

The award was presented to Tara by chief executive Mark Brandreth and announced today at the latest board of directors meeting.

Tara received a special badge, certificate and also a box of fresh fruit and vegetables from Box of Goodness, a local business who have a stall at RJAH, who donate a box to every Health Hero winner.

Tara said: “I’m really overwhelmed and shocked to be the latest winner of the Health Hero Award.

“I’d like to say a big thank you to Victoria for nominating me. It’s really lovely to know my work in the department is appreciated.”

Mark said: “Teams like Clinical Coding often work under the radar with little appreciation for the involvement they have on our day-to-day operations, when the reality is, we would struggle to function effectively without them.

“They’re a vital department in the hospital, and it’s terrific to see Tara being recognised for supporting and caring for her colleagues.

“Tara is an asset to the Trust and I’m delighted she’s part of our team.”