The Christie Charity
Jacqueline Mellody is our October 2022 You Made a Difference award winner. The following comments were made about Jacqueline in the October nominations.
Judges picked Jacqueline out as a very deserving winner and said that the comments made about her showed how she represents The Christie principles and behaviours.
“Jacqui makes a difference to all her patients, always going above and beyond for them. Recently, however, she has made a huge difference to a particular patient enrolled on a clinical trial in the melanoma team.
“The patient and his wife are both deaf and this has made communication difficult at times. The treatment had potential to cause severe toxicities and it was a concern how we would be able to manage this as the patient is unable to communicate via phone calls. Jacqui arranged for the team to have a mobile phone so that that the patient and his wife could text instantly if they had any concerns. She liaised with The Christie Hotline to ensure there was a number that the patient could text out of hours.
“Outside of work, she has started going to signing classes to learn BSL so that she can have some simple communication with the patient and his wife. It is clear that Jacqui has enabled this patient to have a much better experience, and this also allowed them access to a clinical trial offering them the best available treatment.”
“Jacqui is a melanoma research nurse – she has been in this role for the last 5 years and during this time, she has nursed many patients on numerous clinical trials. Enrolling onto a clinical trial can be very daunting for patients, but Jacqui is always there to support them. She is the friendly face that reassures them and their relatives that they are in safe hands. She always goes above and beyond for her patients and for all melanoma patients.
“She developed and supports a melanoma support group at Maggie’s. This is open to all patients with a diagnosis of melanoma (not just patients on clinical trials), and this has received great feedback from patients and relatives who attend.
“She started working at The Christie as a healthcare assistant many years ago before carrying out her nurse training. She qualified in 2008 and worked as a staff nurse here on ward 11 before developing a career in research.
“She always puts the patients first, and always goes the extra mile to ensure patients have a good experience at The Christie. She went above and beyond for one of our patients who is deaf, including enrolling onto BSL course in her spare time so that she can have better communication with the patient. This is just one example of many where she has made a huge difference to a patient’s experience. She is also an amazing colleague and a big support to everyone in the melanoma team. This is a very well-deserved award for her commitment to work and dedication to her patients.
“Jacqui has a very busy social life; she loves keeping herself busy with her many hobbies and activities. Her weekends often consist of long walks or bike rides, cooking and baking for her family and tending to her lovely garden. She is a huge fan of Strictly Come Dancing and she has recently taken up ballroom dancing on a Wednesday evening with her husband.”
- Samantha Corlett, manager
Has a staff member, team or volunteer at The Christie gone above and beyond in their work? You can nominate them for the monthly You Made a Difference Award.
