SIX scientists have received recognition for their work in cardiac science for a key Somerset hospital.

The cardiology department colleagues at Musgrove Park Hospital secured four wins in the annual Society for Cardiological Science and Technology (SCST) awards, with two making it to the finals.

Sarah Pollard, non-invasive lead for cardiology at Somerset NHS Foundation Trust, said she’s pleased to celebrate the efforts of her colleagues.

She said: “Too often we squirrel away these fantastic people and don’t tend to recognise their excellent work, so it’s good to get some national recognition through these awards.

“In total we had four winners and a further two finalists, which were chosen by a panel of experts within the field of cardiac science.

“Helen Kavanagh, one of our pacing specialists, won the innovator prize for transformation for the way she really pioneered the use of home monitoring for patients in the south west, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“As we live in such a rural county, we were already using a good level of home monitoring, so Helen and the team felt it made more sense to make it so those patients didn’t have to travel unnecessarily, and it’s taken off from there.

“Thanks to their work, over 5,000 patients are now being cared for at home, where their vital cardiac device data is downloaded to a cardiac monitor in their home, which is sent securely to our cardiology team.”

Jacques Robertson, a trainee clinical scientist at Somerset NHS Foundation Trust, won the Rising Star award.

Sarah said: “Jacques has just completed his student programme and is now employed with us as an echocardiographer.

“He has been an absolutely outstanding student, and has taken time to mentor and support others through their student journey too – a fantastic member of the team. He also set up and implemented a training programme for our cardiographer colleagues.

“Another winner was Sue Davison, who was named Cardiographer of the Year, but I think that should be Cardiographer of the Decade! This was such a well-deserved award, as Sue goes above and beyond every single day she’s here.”

Cardiac clinical scientist, Emily King, took home the Cardiac Scientist of the Year award, for the incredible efforts she has made in teaching others.

Two other colleagues in the team were also finalists in the SCST awards – Esme Andrew, a student cardiac physiologist, and Amy Szewiel, a senior echocardiographer.

Sarah added: “We are so lucky in Somerset to have these amazing colleagues, and I couldn’t be any prouder of the team.

“I’ve worked in cardiology for almost 19 years, and it’s always a happy and friendly place to be, with everyone always ready to help each other out, showing great teamwork.

“Every colleague in our cardiology team, whatever their role, plays a crucial role, and we simply couldn’t do it without each other. It’s a wonderful place to work and I personally enjoy coming into work every day because of the people here.”