Our very own Gladys Nkhola wins Good Morning Britain's 1 Million Minutes Award
Gladys was singled out for the honour after award judges read how she regularly worked 60 hours a week, during the height of the pandemic, to support her patients.
If you were watching Good Morning Britain on Christmas Day you’ll have seen the special moment when Gladys was awarded the Dame Barbara Windsor 1 Million Minutes Award. Gladys, who moved to Hulme from South Africa in 2002, is one of our Nurses at Monet Lodge Independent Hospital in Manchester, and at 76 years of age she has a wealth of knowledge and expertise. When restrictions meant patients were separated from their loved ones, she volunteered for extra shifts to help combat their loneliness – all despite being in an at-risk group herself.
Gladys was lost for words when GMB presenter Pip Thomson presented her with her award. “The award came as a complete surprise. I had no idea what was happening.
"I went into work and there was a red carpet, and then the choir started, and they told me I’d won an award. I was actually speechless!
“I should have been shielding according to my age but I don’t have any underlying health conditions. I was healthy and always felt safe – we always had full PPE at Monet Lodge. We were well looked after but our patients couldn’t see their relatives or friends, and that was very hard to watch. For people with advanced dementia, all the new measures were confusing and upsetting. It was very clear in their faces how much they missed their loved ones”.
Gladys’ manager, Meena Patel, has nothing but the highest of praise. “Gladys thoroughly deserves to be recognised with this award. She really is such a wonderful inspiration to everyone here. Being recognised in such a public way is a very fitting way of saying thank you for everything that she does to help others. She was absolutely stunned when she found out, she couldn’t even speak! It was such an exciting day, we’re all thrilled”.
Our CEO, Rachel Peacock, is also someone who knows just how dedicated Gladys is to her patients. “Gladys has an inherent sense of humanity, compassion, love and understanding. She never stops developing herself personally, her clinical knowledge is vast and she is a great motivator, as well as a calming presence for colleagues, residents and families.
“Despite losing friends to COVID-19, her commitment to nursing has never wavered. She is truly one in a million”.
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