Physiotherapist at Southampton General Hospital nominated for Daily Echo's Hospital Heroes

Sunitha Narayan works at the Tremona Road hospital’s Wessex Neurological Centre which serves people across the South suffering from disorders affecting the brain, spine and nerves.

And the neuromuscular coordinator also uses her fluency in five different languages to help patients from Asian backgrounds get the healthcare they need.

Now she has received the ultimate recognition after being nominated for a Hospital Heroes award.

And she is calling on people across Southampton to show their gratitude to fellow hospital staff by putting them forward for the Daily Echo’s Readers’ Choice Award.

We have teamed up with University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust to champion staff who like Sunitha have gone the extra mile to ensure patients receive outstanding care.

Sunitha was chosen by patient Katie Hammond who suffers from incurable condition Facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy (FSHD) which has weakened her legs and arms so much she requires sticks to walk.

Katie Hammond, 29, from Eastleigh, who has received regular help from the centre over the last four years, said: “She provides fantastic support. It’s so personalised and she is such a nice person who gives good honest advice.”

Sunitha, 38, trained in India and moved to Britain in 2006.

Many of her patients have other health complications and she helps signpost them to other services within the hospital and the community.

She said: “For me this is the perfect job. We have to have many difficult conversations with patients about their health, but being able to help them makes it so rewarding.

“It’s really lovely to be nominated and I feel very honoured. It’s really humbling to hear people are thanking you on a personal level.”

Sunitha also volunteers as a hospital interpreter using her knowledge of four different Indian languages to help patients.

She also works to promote equality, diversity and inclusion at the hospital.