Thank You Event 2025: Colleague of the Year, Highly Commended

Every year we celebrate our amazing staff and their achievements at our Thank You ceremony. Board members will surprise colleagues at their bases and present them with a hamper, balloons and a certificate for being shining examples of our magnificent staff behaviours.

The Highly Commended Colleague of the Year is Lisa Bendelow, Digital Implementation Officer. She was nominated by Nicola Day, Change and Improvement Lead for her compassion, adaptability and care for colleagues and patients.

Lisa is the colleague everyone wants on their team. She’s supportive, kind, and always ready with a listening ear. Whether it’s checking in with a teammate who’s had a tough day or offering encouragement during busy periods, Lisa never overlooks the human side of the work. She genuinely cares for her colleagues, and that warmth and compassion are deeply valued by everyone she works with.

A natural role model, she is the first to put her hand up to offer support, whether it’s picking up a new piece of work, helping a struggling colleague, or volunteering for a new initiative. Her actions consistently inspire those around her. She understands the importance of collaboration and communication, and she works across teams and services to ensure everything runs smoothly. Her experience and approachable nature mean that others regularly seek her out for advice or assistance. She never turns anyone away and always finds time to help, reinforcing a strong sense of teamwork and community.

Lisa has a wealth of LCH experience which allows her to make informed and thoughtful decisions that benefit both the team and the services. She brings sound judgment and a calm, considered approach to every situation, always striving to do what is right. She takes the initiative to investigate, learn, and bring back solutions. Her proactive approach means that she often identifies improvements before problems even arise, making her an invaluable asset during times of transition or service development.

Lisa puts patients at the centre of everything that she does with the ultimate goal of delivering the best possible care. She understands how her actions impact patient outcomes and ensures that her contribution always enhances the wider patient experience.

Nicola said, “Lisa is the definition of a fabulous colleague; supportive, hardworking, reliable, and always ready to go the extra mile. Lisa embodies the very heart of what it means to work at LCH, consistently demonstrating all seven of our magnificent behaviours in everything she does. Her dedication, professionalism, and unwavering team spirit make her a truly exceptional colleague.”

Ruth Burnett, Executive Medical Director presented Lisa with the award at Onward House acknowledging her achievements, “Your actions consistently inspire those around you, you set a tone that everybody else follows and I can't thank you enough. its been a difficult time for everybody and you've had to make changes and deliver things at pace and you've done an amazing job being a fantastic colleague to others. Thank you so much.”