13 March 2008
Hull GP Receptionist Chats for Charity
By offering advice to others through SystmOne's Chatroom, Emma Lyons, a receptionist at Wolseley Medical Centre, Hull, has won £2,000 to donate to the charities of her choice, courtesy of TPP.
L-R: L-R Jacqui Alland (Nurse Practitioner), Emma Lyons (Receptionist and Chatting for Charity Winner), Sally Ward (Fundraiser for Dove House Hospice).
SystmOne Chatrooms provide a forum for all SystmOne users across different healthcare settings to communicate, ask questions and share ideas. The 'Chatting for Charity' scheme sees TPP's Clinical System Analysts awarding points to customers who provide useful and accurate advice to others. At the end of each quarter, the person with the most points wins £2,000 to be donated to the charity of their choice.
Emma decided to split the money three ways with £1,000 going to Dove House Hospice in Hull. Sally Ward, Dove House Hospice Fundraiser, says, “Dove House Hospice would like to thank Emma greatly for her kind donation. It costs around £13,000 a day to run the hospice and this could not be done without the support of the local community. Dove House Hospice provides specialist palliative care for adults in Hull and the East Riding with a life limiting illness and Emma’s donation will help Dove House Hospice to continue to provide this service.”
The rest of the money was split equally between two charities that colleague Nurse Practitioner Jacqui Alland is fundraising for - Macmillan Cancer Support and Let's Face It, a charity supporting people with facial disfigurements. Later this year, Jacqui will be cycling from Land's End to John O'Groats to raise money for these two charities.
Jacqui says, "I am very proud of Emma's achievement. Her hard work has given a kick start to a fundraiser which my husband and I are doing. We are biking from Land's End to John O'Groats in July (as cycling novices) and Emma's £1,000 contribution has given strength to our legs."
Macmillan Cancer Support and Let's Face It are both charities close to Jacqui's heart, as she explains: "Last year, my father died from an aggressive mouth cancer that destroyed most of his face as well as making him deaf and unable to talk or speak. This is the second time that someone close to me as suffered from this cancer as I also lost a dear practice nurse colleague some 18 years ago, age 34, with the same cancer. My father's illness reinforced the feeling that I needed to do something proactive to help other people in this situation. Macmillan Cancer Support and Let's Face It both support people with this type of cancer and rely on charitable donations to keep going."
Jacqui continues: "My dad and Christine were both amazing people, never moaning about the poor card they had been dealt. Following dad’s surgery he had to wear a face mask to cover up the loss of his nose, upper jaw and cheeks. People used to stare and pass comments. This used to hurt us, but for dad he took it all in his stride and said, as long as his family accepted him and loved him, he was a lucky man. Emma’s hard work to win this donation has given us a real boost to get our fundraising on the right track. We are hoping to raise £10,000 so this £1,000 has put us on the map."
“It’s really good when we see people helping each other out on Chatrooms,” says Alex Gladwell, TPP’s Clinical System Analyst team manager. “Helpful Customer points show the customer with the query that they can trust the advice of the person helping them out. And for the scheme to help such worthy charities as the ones that Emma has chosen is great.”
As of 1st March, the Chatroom points were reset giving all users, new and old, the opportunity to take part in the Chatting for Charity scheme.
All at TPP wish Jacqui and her husband the best of luck with the three-week bike ride and reaching their fundraising target, and would like to thank Emma for all her sound advice on SystmOne Chatrooms.
