TEST: Rick & Oxford's nomination reads:

Pet Therapy.  Rick comes weekly to visit ICU as a volunteer with his dog Oxford.  He visits any patient, relative or staff member that would like to see Oxford.  ICU is a complex, stressful and foreign place to patients and relatives.  And Oxford the dog provides some normality and 'time out' for a few minutes and appears to change the atmosphere of the unit to a more calm environment.  His visits also change the predominately clinical conversation to past memories and nice times when patients and family members weren't in the ICU.  We have had dog lovers who have been semi- conscious who Oxford has visited and with the help of their relatives placing their hand on Oxford have started to pat him and look more relaxed.       Rick is a very self-less person who gives a lot of time to ICU and other departments.  He is intuitive on situations that may be happening on the unit and will never impose, and is conscious of patient privacy.    We consider Rick a valued member of the ICU team and appreciate what he does for our patients, relatives and staff.

TEST: On Saturday 3rd November, 28 Liaison Officers, Assessor, Placement Helpers and Committee Members came together at the Miramar Golf Club Conference Centre to share experiences and improve the visiting experience for our members and the organisations we visit