Nyaradzai Banga, is a senior support worker at Cygnet Hospital Woking, a 62-bed hospital on Redding Way, Knaphill, which offers mental health services to men and women. She has been recognised for her outstanding care and compassion at Cygnet’s annual nursing awards where she won Support Worker of the Year and was recognised alongside other nurses from across Cygnet health and social care services.
Nominating Nyaradzai, the team at Cygnet Hospital Woking said: “Nyaradzai is passionate and possesses excellent communication and interpersonal skills, creativity, adaptability, problem-solving abilities, empathy, and effective time management, making her an exceptional support worker.”
The Cygnet Nursing Conference and Awards took place last week at the National Motorcycle Museum in Birmingham.
On receiving her award, Nyaradzai said: “This is a humbling reminder of the difference we make in people's lives and a wonderful acknowledgement of the hard work and dedication. Thank you so much for this incredible honour. Being a mental health support worker is a passion; this award validates that. Thank you to all my colleagues on all levels who always provide invaluable support.
“Working as a mental health support worker means a lot to me. My patients' strengths and vulnerabilities have shaped me into the aspiring nursing student I am today. Advocating for the dignity and well-being of individuals with mental health conditions, standing beside them in their most vulnerable moments, when they feel lost and struggle to find their voices, keeps me going.
“It's a privilege to be part of someone's journey to recovery. The joy of seeing them walking out of our doors, going back into the community, and to their loved ones motivates me. It can be emotional, challenging, and overwhelming, but is also deeply rewarding.
“Working in the health sector gives a lot of continuous learning opportunities, as an aspiring nursing student through the Cygnet Nursing Pathway Apprenticeship programme, I look forward to continuing to change people's lives.”
Shiella Muchenje is the Clinical Team Leader at the same hospital, and she won the award for Diversity and Inclusion champion, recognising the work she does to make all staff feel included and appreciated, no matter their background.
Her team said: “Sheilla treats everyone with respect, dignity and champions a culture where everyone feels valued and respected. She fosters positive employee relations, ensuring a fair and supportive environment for all staff. Above all she treats all service users with respect to build good rapport and therapeutic relationships.”
The event was hosted by David Wilmott, Cygnet’s Director of Nursing, who said: “The awards provide an opportunity for staff to nominate colleagues for the exceptional work that they do. This year we had a record number of nominations and it gives me enormous pleasure to recognise people like Nyaradzai and Sheilla who make outstanding contributions to the care that our service users and residents receive.”