Kathryn Doherty wins an ‘NHS excellence’ award

Kathryn Doherty receiving her winner’s award from Liz Barrett

A caring and conscientious cadet nurse has won a ‘NHS excellence’ award that marks the memory of a young Rochdale health worker.

Kathryn Doherty, a second-year cadet nurse from Newhey, is the winner of this year’s Catherine Barrett Young Achievers’ Award.

Catherine Barrett was a highly-regarded trainee healthcare assistant who worked at Rochdale Infirmary. The 16-year-old died in a car accident in March 2000, before she could finish her course and go on to become a fully-qualified nurse.

To mark her memory, and to help celebrate the success of young NHS staff, an annual award has been established for NHS staff working in the Rochdale, North Manchester, Bury and Oldham areas.

The award, now in its eighth year, is open to any young person aged 16 to 21 who works for Pennine Acute Trust, which runs the hospitals, or the local primary care trusts, which operate community services.

Eighteen-year-old Kathryn was nominated for the award by the Day Surgical Unit Team at Rochdale Infirmary, where she was on placement.

Catherine Roche, staff nurse in the day surgery ward at Rochdale Infirmary, said: “Kathryn showed she was a good prospect for the future. She became a team member very quickly for someone so young and inexperienced.”

The runner up was Nick Thorpe (18), from Middleton, who has been working part-time at North Manchester General Hospital as a health records clerk while studying for his A-levels.

Liz Barrett, Catherine’s mother, who works as a neonatal nurse on the Special Care Baby Unit at Rochdale Infirmary, said: “The award has really grown and the interest and nominations get stronger every year. We think it is just a wonderful way of remembering and celebrating Catherine's life.”