King’s College Hospital Nurse nominated for Lifetime Award

When Ediscyll Lorusso arrived in the UK from the Philippines, she had to deal with homesickness – and the weather.

The 21-year-old newly-registered nurse started on a journey, though, which has culminated in her being named as a finalist for Our Health Heroes lifetime award aged just 44.

She joined St George’s University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Tooting, as a staff nurse in 2000.

Now a mother-of-two, she has become a passionate advocate for thrombosis prevention, organising regular campaigns, study days and teaching sessions for staff and patients.

Thanks to her contribution, the hospital has been hailed as one of the Exemplar Sites for Venous ThromboEmbolism (VTE) prevention in the Houses of Parliament.

Ediscyll was then invited to participate in the All Party Parliamentary Thrombosis Group (APPTG) and has attended meetings with MPs and NHS bosses in the House of Commons every year since 2010.

In 2012, she helped launch a UK first at St George’s – the Joint Thrombosis Nurse and Midwife clinic.

Her innovation quickly caught the attention of the Department of Health and hospitals around the world, after she gave talks to thousands of health carers and managers at conferences in USA, Canada, Australia and Singapore.

Ediscyll also volunteers for Black Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) networks in healthcare, including Freedom To Speak Up and Philippine Nurses Association-UK – which supports newly arrived nurses from Philippines. Ediscyll also visits schools to inspire children to become nurses.

She has now been nominated for the Our Health Heroes National Lifetime Contribution award. The winner will be announced at a special ceremony at London Science Museum on March 24.

She said: “I love working as a nurse and knowing that I make a positive difference in my patients’ lives gives me great job satisfaction and a huge sense of achievement.

“As an overseas nurse at the age of 44, to be in the running for the national lifetime achievement award for the Our Health Heroes award is such a huge honour.

I would like to extend my indebtedness appreciation to my past and present colleagues who took the time to make this nomination.

I am deeply humbled to represent all the extraordinary, hardworking and selfless nurses all over the world who work intensely every day and especially during the pandemic.  This is a collective success for all of us.”

Robert Bleasdale, Chief Nurse at St George’s University Hospitals Trust, said: “Among the many thousands of nurses nationwide with incredible achievements, Ediscyll’s achievements really do stand out.

“Ediscyll has been central to St George’s reputation for innovation and excellence in thrombosis care and prevention for many years now and has touched countless lives through her pioneering work.

“In addition to her impressive track record of clinical achievements, Ediscyll is an ambassador for her profession and passionate advocate for Filipino communities across the UK. She truly is an inspiration and we are very proud of her.”

Vote in the awards by February 4 here: https://bit.ly/3mVkISP