MEDICS on the Churchill Hospital’s urology ward have been praised for offering vulnerable patients “the personal touch” at times of need.

Gita Konschak said her father Helmut spent more than a year going in and out of the Churchill and John Radcliffe hospitals after being diagnosed with prostate cancer.

She was impressed with the “outstanding” approach to patient care on the urology ward, which moved her to nominate the team for our Hospital Heroes award.

Headington resident Ms Konschak said it was fantastic the team had been recognised for their work after being shortlisted for the prize.

She added: “We, as the family, were able to get a glimpse of how these various wards operate. The urology ward stood out in a number of ways and the staff deserve recognition for their dedication and the work they do.

“The staff were able to express to the patient a level of care which made it feel more personal, and in an environment where patients feel quite vulnerable that seemed quite important for the wellbeing of the individual. I felt they had a very human and personal approach to care.”

Ms Konschak said her father, who lived in Poland, came to the city for a private consultation to find out about medical problems he was having in 2013.

He was diagnosed with prostate cancer, forcing him to spend time in hospital on different wards on at least six occasions.

Ms Konschak said her father, who could not speak English, also suffered a number of urological complications from having cancer, including kidney failure.

She said staff on the urology ward stood out after she noticed they knew their patients by name and were not referred to by their bed numbers.

She added: “Staff made more of an effort to address their patient with their name. I felt they were very good at informing us of all the individual steps that had to be taken.

“It was important for him to be able to have our support while we needed their support.”

Ms Konschak said her family’s experience would have been very different if it was not for the care of the urology ward team. She added: “Any questions that we had at any time, we had the ability to sort that out with them.”

Mr Konschak, who was a gardener, died in June.