Dedicated NHS staff who have gone that extra mile to make life better for patients are being recognised across Cumbria.

The Glimpse of Brilliance initiative was set up to celebrate the achievements of health workers countywide.

It gives patients and colleagues a chance to nominate those who are making a real difference within the local NHS.

Initially running in north and west Cumbria, it has since been rolled out to include staff in the south of the county too.

Any staff working for the Cumbria Partnership NHS Foundation Trust or North Cumbria University Hospitals NHS Trust can be nominated, with the weekly winners shared on social media.

We've picked out some of the highlights of the past year:

January - Ward 4, West Cumberland Hospital

The staff on Ward 4 were nominated by their matron, Christine Musgrave. For the second year running they all bought an extra present so each patient had something to open on Christmas Day.

Christine said: “I think this displays not only their generosity, but dedication to helping the elderly and making Christmas as special as possible whilst in hospital”.

A patient’s daughter also got in touch to praise the care and treatment by the Ward 4 nursing team and doctors over Christmas.

She said: “My mum was sadly still in hospital on Christmas Day, however she and the other patients on the ward received presents from staff which were paid for out of their own pockets."

She went on to stress that the attitude of the Ward 4 staff - led by ward manager Debbie Evans - was cheerful, professional, helpful and always upbeat.

February - Elaine Heron

A colleague at the West Cumberland Hospital nominated Elaine, a community midwife team leader, for Glimpse of Brilliance.

Elaine was a spectator at a Workington Reds away game, against Matlock Town, when suddenly a fellow supporter became ill.

Elaine and a retired GP, who was also in attendance, started giving the man mouth-to-mouth resuscitation and CPR until the paramedics and an ambulance crew arrived.

A Matlock Town spokesman said: “I don’t think there’s any doubt that they saved the man’s life.

"He came round and was talking to the paramedics when they took him away in the ambulance, but the initial work which saved him had been done by the two Workington supporters.”

March - All staff at North Cumbria hospitals

This Glimpse of Brilliance was a little different as it celebrated the month that the trust was taken out of special measures.

It followed a positive inspection by national watchdog the Care Quality Commission (CQC), acknowledging key improvements.

Trust bosses therefore devoted a Glimpse of Brilliance award to the 4,600 staff that work at the Carlisle and Whitehaven hospitals.

They said: "After three and a half years of intense scrutiny and some very difficult times, it has taken hard work and sheer determination to reach this milestone. Following every CQC inspection over the past three years, we must remember that our staff across all services have been consistently rated as ‘good’ for caring – that has never been in doubt.

"After our most recent inspection, we have also been rated as ‘good’ overall for delivering effective care, with staff across disciplines working together to secure good outcomes and seamless care for patients."

April - Kath Stuart

A critical care outreach nurse at the Cumberland Infirmary, Kath was nominated by a fellow staff member.

She said: “My dad was admitted into hospital with severe sepsis, and I truly believe that the actions of Kath helped save my dad’s life.

"Once referred to critical care, her knowledge, skills and quick actions ensured he received the right antibiotics to help fight his infection.

"Kath was absolutely fantastic, straight to the point, open and honest with us about how poorly my dad was, and acted in a manner that got the right treatment for him at the right time.

"My mum, who is also a nurse like myself, has highlighted the care that Kath gave to management to emphasise the tremendous efforts from the critical care team. We really can’t thank her enough. She is a truly amazing nurse that made me feel like my dad was in safe hands at all times.”

May - Bev Barnes

A fellow member of staff nominated Bev, a staff nurse in A&E at Whitehaven, for her life-saving actions.

It said: “While Bev was off duty, she successfully resuscitated her neighbour who was in cardiac arrest.

"This enabled him to be stabilised and transferred to Carlisle for Primary Percutaneous Coronary Intervention (emergency heart treatment to clear a blockage). There is no doubt Bev saved his life and we all feel she deserves recognition. We are all very proud of her.”

June - Dermatology nurses

A hospital colleague nominated the Cumberland Infirmary dermatology nurses for going that extra mile to help her daughter.

It said: “I would like to nominate the dermatology nurses, who fitted my daughter in at short notice when she had severe eczema.

"They gave her an appointment each day until her eczema was under control again and were flexible in fitting the appointments around my working hours. They treated my daughter with respect and dignity and reassured her they would soon have the eczema under control.

"In addition, nurse Sarah wrote a letter to my daughter’s sixth form to support extenuating circumstances as she was off for three weeks. Thank you very much for your help and care.”

July - Angela Quinn

Angela is a member of the domestic staff team at the West Cumberland Hospital for her exceptionally high standards.

It said: “Angela cleans and maintains the Blood Sciences department, which was recently complimented on its cleanliness by an external visiting manager from the Newcastle Blood Transfusion service, who commented that the department was gleaming and exceptionally clean.

"This is credit to Angela whose help means the department regularly scores 100 per cent on cleaning audits.

"Domestic team members are often overlooked for the hard work behind the scenes, and Angela is one who deserves recognition.

"She is friendly, pleasant and highly appreciated within the Blood Sciences team and always seems to go the extra mile."

August - Christine Russell

A healthcare assistant from the Carlisle outpatients department, she was nominated for supporting patients at difficult times.

“Christine was called for assistance to help out on Aspen Ward as they were busy. While on the ward there was a very confused patient who was distressed and disrupting the whole ward," it said.

"Christine demonstrated compassion and patience, calming the patient down and getting her to eat and drink.

"The patient’s elderly husband arrived and was upset at seeing his wife so confused. Christine looked after both of them, ensuring the safety of the patient and others around. She is a credit to the department and trust with very special communication skills.”

A second member of staff also nominated Christine, adding: “Christine showed compassion and support to my family member who unfortunately had a miscarriage. Christine’s caring words and kind touch, helped comfort the family at such a sad time.”

September - Sheila Harper

An MS nurse specialist based in Carlisle, Sheila was nominated by a patient following excellent care.

“Sheila has had a really positive impact on my care. Her knowledge and guidance has been amazing," it said.

"She is always liaising with my GP to ensure I am on the best medication I can be, and giving them advice to help with my care plan.

"Sheila’s help, huge support, guidance and constant smile has certainly made my diagnosis much easier to cope with.

"I am a senior nurse myself and it makes me extremely proud knowing we have people like her working in the NHS for our local hospital.

"I would like to thank Sheila from the bottom of my heart for all that she has done for me, and how having her as part of the team dealing with my care makes everything just that little bit easier.”

October - Nicola Patton and Caroline Gardner

Nicola, appointment coordinator, and Caroline Gardner, business support manager, are both based at HMP Haverigg Prison.

The nomination said: “I would like to congratulate Nicola for her work on the patient electronic record system.

"Nicola’s work has been recognised nationally and she has been asked to speak at a national conference and become part of the national committee for this system.

"I would also like to congratulate Caroline who has been integral in the development of the administration function at HMP.

"Caroline has produced operating procedures, protocols and templates that have been seen as best practice. Administration teams from other areas of the country have been to visit Haverigg and look at Caroline’s work and her templates have been replicated in the north east.”

November - Helen Dixon

Barrow-based Helen is a speech therapist within the children’s speech and language therapy team.

She was nominated for her work to support patients using specialist Alternative and Augmentative Communication (AAC) devices.

Over the years she has worked tirelessly, both in her professional and her own time, to support AAC users and their families.

A colleague said: "Helen has worked in the children’s speech and language therapy team in Cumbria for many years and has continued to inspire us all into providing the best service possible for the children in our area, especially in the training and support she has provided to newer therapists."

Helen is also a trustee for the charity 1Voice, Lakes and Bay branch, which supports both adults and children who use AAC and their families.

Helen's own personal interest in AAC began as a result of working with an adult who was just starting to use a communication aid.

She later started AAC user picnics and Christmas parties to give people the chance to meet other users and their families.

The 1Voice Lakes and Bay branch is also thriving under her leadership.

"Helen is an extremely modest person who does not quite realise the extent of the positive impact she has had on many AAC users and their families," the nomination added.

December - Cockermouth Community Hospital staff

The nomination, from a staff member, said: “I have been to Cockermouth Hospital on two consecutive occasions. On both occasions we were made to feel very welcome by everyone.

"I observed exceptional care being delivered and the staff were extremely positive, despite a challenging situation and worked together as a team.

"The following occasion I saw the facilities staff working hard to clean the ward and the ward clerk undertaking her administrative tasks.

"I would like to commend everyone based on the ward, but also the other teams who support Isel Ward for their amazing performances.

"I would not have any concerns should any member of my family need to be admitted as I would appreciate them being cared for in such a marvellous environment.”