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Hospital award for 'amazing' care of autistic woman

Martin Heath
BBC News, Northamptonshire
Kettering General Hospital Kirstie Pope with long red hair wearing a black top with white lettering and holding a brown and white guinea pig toy and smiling at the cameraKettering General Hospital
Kirstie Pope was delighted to find her cuddly guinea pig beside her when she woke up in intensive care

An intensive care unit has received an internationally recognised award after being nominated by a patient.

Kirstie Pope, 31, is autistic and said Kettering General Hospital deserved a Daisy Team Award for the care she received.

The scheme recognises medical staff worldwide who "go above and beyond the traditional role of nursing".

Ms Pope, from Wellingborough in Northamptonshire, said she woke from treatment to find she had her ear defenders on and her cuddly guinea pig by her side - which helped her overcome her fears.

She said she was "normally very scared of hospitals" and would "do anything I can to avoid going to one".

Ms Pope did not remember arriving at the intensive care unit (ICU) in August 2024 but woke to find the specific measures had been made to help her feel comfortable.

"That's amazing," she said. "It helped a lot, because I was so scared, confused and overwhelmed when I woke up.

"I also found that someone had put my hair in a plait at some point to stop it getting matted or in the way. That was kind of them."

Ms Pope added that many staff had "clearly read" her Autism Hospital Passport, a document designed to help people understand her needs.

Kettering General Hospital Group of medical people in a hospital ward. A man with very short hair and glasses, wearing a blue and white shirt and a stethoscope is holding a smartphone on which Kirstie, with long red hair, is visible. Beyond him are various nurses and healthcare assistants wearing mainly blue uniforms.Kettering General Hospital
Ms Pope joined the award presentation over the phone

Ms Pope explained that she normally hated the ward round in hospitals as she felt she could not understand what doctors were telling her and they did not seem to be listening to her.

At Kettering, however, "all of the doctors in ICU were fantastic. The junior doctors were lovely as well.

"Everyone treated me with so much care and compassion."

Some staff even brought photographs of their pets for Ms Pope to look at.

She named 12 individual members of staff who were particularly helpful.

Kettering General Hospital Jo Snow with medium length blond hair and glasses, wearing a dark blue uniform, holds a certificate in a black frame. Robin Binks, with very short hair and glasses, wearing a blue and white shirt and a lanyard, holds another certificate in a black fraime. They are both standing in front of a big picture showing purple flowers in a field.Kettering General Hospital
The ICU matron Jo Snow (left, with the director of nursing, Robin Binks) said everyone was "very touched" by the nomination

ICU matron Jo Snow said: "We were all very touched by her nomination and the way she didn't forget anyone who had helped her and recognised all of the efforts that had been made to support her.

"Thank you Kirstie for bringing so much happiness and recognition for the team that looked after you."

Daisy Awards were launched in America in 1999 following the death of a patient who had received outstanding care for diseases attacking the immune system, (Daisy).

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