Lucy Junni, a paediatric radiographer at Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust and her colleague Lobke Marsden have won a major UK award for their project to make cancer treatment less frightening for children.
The pair were the winners of the Chroma Award for realising potential through creativity, part of the prestigious Advancing Healthcare awards, which took place on 20 April in London.
The judges said of their entry: “The cost effectiveness of this project was clear and it significantly improved patient experience.”
The project focused on redesigning immobilisation masks, used on head and neck cancer patients.
The pair decided to try painting the masks in a design chosen by the children, including superhero’s such as Captain America and ‘The Queen of Radiotherapy’ to make them less daunting.
The results helped reduce the fear and anxiety felt by many patients when wearing their masks.
Gareth Thomas, SCoR President, was present at the awards ceremony and he commented: “It’s fantastic to see the hard work and innovative practice of radiographers receive such fantastic recognition on a national level.
“In a fiercely competitive field, Lucy and Lobke’s project stood out, and showed how a small, cost effective change to our service can transform the patient experience.
“This is particularly important in paediatrics, where patients are vulnerable and often particularly anxious.
“My congratulations to Lucy and Lobke.”