HE IS the nurse who has brought a smile on patients and staff’s faces at Southampton General Hospital.

Jose Horno, has been working as respiratory specialist nurse for the past three years.

He goes above and beyond his duties to look after patients with respiratory diseases and see how he can optimise their treatments.

Now one of his colleagues wants to give him an ultimate recognition and has nominated Jose for a Hospital Heroes award.

The Daily Echo has teamed up with the University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust to track down the this year’s hero who made a difference in patients’ lives.

Jose was chosen by his colleague Karren Carter, who works as admin at the respiratory centre.

The 55-year-old woman wanted to nominated Jose to recognise the work he does every day and said: “ It’s a really busy clinic and he always has to stay on after he should go home to make sure all the patients are attended to. He’s such a lovely man and does all this with a smile on his face.”

Jose, 27, who is originally from Spain, moved to Southampton four years ago and was surprised to receive the nomination.

He said: “ I’m really pleased to know I have been nominated. It was really rewarding because we are working very hard and it’s really good to know I get support from my colleagues.

“Hospital Heroes is very good because it’s a way to say thank you for the hard work we do every day and it’s very rewarding.”

Jose said that he likes being able to help patients, treat them and be with them when they are going through difficult times in their lives.

The winner of the Daily Echo Hospital Hero will soon be announced during an official ceremony at St Mary’s Stadium on March 28 and will follow in the footstep’s of last year’s winner Sunitha Narayan, a neuromuscular coordinator at the Wessex Neurological Centre.

At the ceremony next week hospital bosses will also give out their own awards to employees nominated by staff members.