A St Thomas’ hospital nurse, who brought combs and moisturiser for Afro-Caribbean patients to a UK hospital for the first time ever, said she is ‘humbled’ after receiving national recognition.
Ginny Wanjiro, who has worked as an Intensive Care Nurse for twenty years, has been nominated for Best Nurse at The Sun’s annual Who Cares Wins awards.
After discovering that there were no hair brushes or combs for Afro-Caribbean patients in her ward – or in any hospitals in the UK for that matter – Ginny told us she wanted to make a change.
“A lot of my patients don’t know they’re coming to hospital so they can’t prepare,” she said.
“I went to order some combs and moisturiser for our ward that was safe for Afro-hair and black skin and found that in the entire NHS catalogue, there were none.”
“Many of our patients are black yet the basic tools to care for them were not available,” said the nurse.
She explained that with the lack of tools, they could not comb some of their patients’ hair and would sometimes be forced to cut it off after it became matted.
“This was just normal and it was so sad.”
The 54-year-old, who lives in Greenwich, said she was inspired when she saw how her late father was cared for whilst in hospital. She remembers the effort his nurses took to ensure he was always shaven and well-kept.
“It is basic nursing care,” she commented. “And it helps patients to recover because they feel better and want to leave.”
“For families visiting a seriously ill relative in hospital, it can be scary. So when their families come in and they see their loved one with combed hair and their skin is glowing – it makes it easier because they know they are being looked after.”
She approached her managers at Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust to apply for funding for her pioneering project. Now she is set to train staff at hospitals across the UK who want to do the same.
Ginny is in the process of getting them added to the Trust’s catalogue so that all staff can easily order the products.
It was because of this that she was nominated for the national award, by a fellow nurse, which will be presented on Sunday live on TV at a ceremony hosted by Davina McCall. The awards recognise healthcare heroes from across the country.
“I’m really grateful and humbled,” she said. “They have woken up. They have seen something they need to improve and reflect the community we are serving.”
Ginny added: “People concentrate so much on the machines, the technology, which is good.
“But when patients come out of surgery, the first thing they ask for is a mirror.”
She said she is glad to have helped her patients but now her mission is to bring this to the rest of the UK.
In addition to introducing the combs, Ginny said they have also trained their nurses to comb afro hair. “So many nurses never knew how to do it. And I don’t even blame them. If you don’t have the tools, how are you supposed to know?”
“It has to be standardised. We need to teach everyone.”
Among the patients who have benefitted from Ginny’s scheme is student Toni Quadri, 22, from Kent, who spent two months in ICU after her organs began to shut down due to a build-up of inflammation.
Toni, who was diagnosed with autoimmune disease while in ICU, says of Ginny: “It was nice to have someone who understood the importance of feeling clean and presentable.
“The first time I was moisturised and my hair was done, it felt like someone had acknowledged me as a person. To me that was priceless.”
The awards will be televised on Channel 4 on Sunday 24 September from 6:30 pm – 8 pm and will be available online on All 4 shortly after.