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Health and care staff honoured in NHS Parliamentary Awards

Nurses, midwives, doctors, vaccination teams and domestic staff are among those celebrated in a prestigious competition to mark the NHS’s 74 birthday, as the NHS Parliamentary Awards shortlist is revealed.

NHS chief executive, Amanda Pritchard, praised the hundreds of NHS staff and volunteers who have been nominated by their MP, as part of the NHS Parliamentary Awards for providing outstanding care to their patients.

Regional champions have been selected by panels of senior regional NHS representatives for their dedication to the health service and to people they care for in their communities.

From cancer teams who are working tirelessly to treat cancer sooner with the introduction of a new diagnostic centre, to a crisis car providing 24/7 emergency mental health support for those who need it most – staff from across the health service are being honoured for making a difference to patients, including from urgent and emergency, primary and mental health care.

Rising stars include ZeZe Sohawon, who is using her personal experience of mental ill health to support others and has been Birmingham Women and Children’s NHS Foundation Trust’s ‘Expert by Experience’ since 2021 as well as Senior Dietician from the South West, Laura Herlihy, who is improving care for tube-fed patients to prevent admission at North Bristol NHS Trust.

Also recognised are the Surgical Cancer Hub at St Helens Hospital which introduced a diagnostic centre and Mersey Care NHS Foundation Trust’s crisis triage car which provides rapid emergency mental health support 24 hours a day to patients at a crisis point.

Nominees for the Lifetime Achievement gong include Jackie Thompson, Hotel Services Manager, Royal Victoria Infirmary, Newcastle, whose team was the first in the UK to manage housekeeping for COVID patients at a time when infection prevention and control was key, and Celia Kendrick, Head of Resilience & Emergency Preparedness, North West Anglia NHS Foundation Trust, who provided ‘inspirational’ pandemic leadership by ensuring staff and patients were kept as safe as possible.

All of the regional winners will be invited to the national awards ceremony, which will be held on 6 July in Westminster, a day after the NHS’s 74 birthday.

NHS staff and volunteers are at the very heart of the NHS and are key to delivering NHS Long Term Plan ambitions including more options for patients, better support and joined-up care at the right time in the best setting.

Amanda Pritchard, NHS chief executive, said: “Undoubtedly one of the NHS’ greatest strengths is our extraordinary staff – each one an important part of the NHS team which has treated more than 750,000 patients with COVID, delivered more than 124 million COVID jabs and worked tirelessly to make significant inroads recovering services impacted by the pandemic.

“The last two years have been incredibly challenging for everyone, including not just NHS staff but all key workers, but through this, health and care staff and volunteers have continued to make a real difference to their patients.

“This is reflected in the hundreds of nominations received from across the country and I want to congratulate every one of those people receiving recognition for service to their communities and making a real and lasting difference for patients”.

Over 700 nominations were submitted, more than last year, with half of MPs representing constituencies in England doing so.

The NHS Parliamentary Awards recognise the massive contribution made by the individuals who work in and alongside the NHS.

Launched in March, it asked MPs to find and nominate those individuals or teams they thought have made the biggest improvements to health services in their constituencies, across 10 categories.

Steve Treloar, Chief Executive Officer, sponsor LV= General Insurance, said: “We’re extremely proud to be sponsoring this year’s NHS Parliamentary Awards. Since its foundation in 1948, the NHS has always worked incredibly hard to look after and protect the millions of us who need their help each and every year. At the heart of the NHS is its people and we are therefore delighted to be able to celebrate the rising stars of the NHS – those who among younger members of staff and volunteers are helping to shape the NHS for generations to come.”

Fiona Cannon, sponsor Lloyds Banking Group’s Sustainable Business Director, said: “Congratulations to all who have been shortlisted for the ‘Excellence in Mental Health Care’ category of the NHS Parliamentary Awards. Your work is vital to the well-being of individuals, communities and the country as a whole and on behalf of Lloyds Banking Group, I would like to thank you for the important contribution you make.

“We are pleased to support the Excellence in Mental Health Care Award 2022. Tackling this issue will not only make a big difference to the productivity and prosperity of the UK, but most importantly, to people and their families in every part of the country”.

Regional champions are:

The excellence in healthcare award

  • North East and Yorkshire: Alcohol Care Team, South Tyneside and Sunderland Foundation Trust (STSFT)
  • North West: St Helens and Knowsley Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust Cancer Services Team
  • Midlands: Children’s Rapid Response Respiratory Team, Lincolnshire Community Health Services NHS Trust
  • East of England: Tracey Healey, Head of Speciality & Secured Services Bedfordshire, Northamptonshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust
  • London: Dr Sadia Khan (Consultant Cardiologist) and team, Chelsea and Westminster Hospital NHS Foundation Trust
  • South East: Cancer Service Team at Medway NHS Foundation Trust
  • South West: Dr Mary Stocker, Consultant Anaesthetist, Torbay and South Devon NHS Foundation Trust

The excellence in mental healthcare award

  • North East and Yorkshire: Acute Community Service, Humber Teaching NHS Foundation Trust
  • North West: Oldham mental health joint response service, Pennine Care NHS Foundation Trust
  • Midlands: Lincolnshire’s Children and Young People Complex Needs Service, Lincolnshire Partnership Foundation Trust
  • East of England: The Family Group Conference service (FGC), Essex Partnership University Foundation NHS Trust (EPUT)
  • London: Mental Health Crisis Assessment Service at Camden and Islington NHS Foundation Trust
  • South East and South West: HOPE Eating Disorder Provider Collaborative, Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust

The Excellence In Urgent and Emergency Care Award

  • North East and Yorkshire: Multi-Agency Support Team (MAST) who work on Project 6 in Keighley identifying patients in emergency departments who would benefit from a mental health, older person’s services or alcohol interventions.
  • North West: The crisis triage car working in Mersey Care NHS Foundation Trust, Liverpool, that provides emergency, rapid, 24/7 mental health support to patients at a crisis point within a community setting.
  • Midlands: POCUS Team (Point of Care Ultrasound) at Sandwell and West Birmingham Hospital Trust providing diagnostics to patients in their own homes.
  • East of England: The Resuscitation Team, Broomfield Hospital, at Mid and South Essex NHS Foundation Trust, developed a rolling simulation training programme.
  • London: Acute ED Frailty Team at Kingston Hospital NHS Foundation Trust
  • South East: An initiative designed by South Central Ambulance Service (SCAS) is helping patients receive the right treatment more quickly and avoid unnecessary transfers to hospital emergency departments.
  • South West: Mental Health Planned Assessment Clinic Team at North Bristol NHS Trust that allows ED and MH clinicians to refer patients into a clinic within the next 48 hours, located in a space away from ED, to receive an extended assessment from a MH specialist with solution-focused engagement

The Excellence In Primary Care and Community Care Award

  • North East and Yorkshire: Barnardo’s Young People Social Prescribing Service
  • North West: St Werburgh’s Medical Practice for the Homeless in Chester that works to develop better access to primary health care services for the homeless and vulnerably housed in Chester and better tackle these vulnerable patients complex needs
  • Midlands: The University of Nottingham Health Service, Cripps Health Centre, an NHS General Practice, has substantially increased research capacity during the pandemic, to help the NHS.
  • East of England: Senior Physician Associate, Miss Claire Alajooz, at Portland Surgery
  • London: East London Foundation Trust – The Homeless and Vulnerable Person Outreach Service in Hackney.
  • South East: Home visiting service/Complex Acute response team at Thanet Health Community Interest Company
  • South West: Anne Gachango, Leads The Haven, a specialist primary healthcare service for asylum seekers and refugees at Sirona Care and Health

The Health Equalities Award

  • North East and Yorkshire: Bill Graham, Community Innovation and Development, Modality Partnership Airedale Wharfedale and Craven Primary Care Network and Keighley VCS organisations
  • North West: The Macmillan Cancer Information and Support Service, East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust
  • Midlands: Herefordshire and Worcestershire Covid-19 Vaccination Team, NHS Herefordshire and Worcestershire CCG
  • East of England: SHELLS SOS Bus, North East Essex Clinical Commissioning Group
  • London: The See ME First badge Creators, Whittington Health NHS Trust
  • South East: Alliance for Better Care Vaccine Equity Team, Alliance for Better Care
  • South West: Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Team, NHS Devon Clinical Commissioning Group

Future NHS Award

  • North East and Yorkshire: Cystic Fibrosis HealthHub, Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
  • North West: : Professor Shondipon Laha, Consultant in Critical Care Medicine and Anaesthesia, Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
  • Midlands: Reaching the digitally excluded in their homes through the provision of digital technology, Midlands Partnership NHS Foundation Trust
  • East of England: Mr Subash Vasudevan, Associate Medical Director for Innovation and Consultant Surgeon, East Suffolk and North East Essex NHS Foundation Trust
  • London: Proactive Anticipatory Care Programme, Southwest London CCG
  • South East: Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells (MTW) Care Coordination Centre team and their new bed management system, Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust
  • South West: The Bristol Eye Hospital Diagnostic Assessment Hub Project Team, University Hospitals Bristol and Weston

The Nursing and Midwifery Award

  • North East and Yorkshire: The Rowan Team, North Tees and Hartlepool NHS Foundation Trust
  • North West: Warrington and Halton Teaching Hospitals (WHHNHS) Maternity team. Project: Better Births, every time, through 100% continuity of carer
  • Midlands: Emma-Louise Evans, Nursery Nurse, South Warwickshire NHS Foundation Trust
  • East of England: Cath Slater, Deputy Director of Nursing and Quality, Hertfordshire Community NHS trust
  • London: Belinda Okyere, Nursing lead for Achieving a Better Community (ABC) Parents outreach programme, North Middlesex University Hospital NHS Trust
  • South East: Deal Ward, Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother (QEQM) Hospital
  • South West: Admiral Nurses – Tim Allen & Hannah Rogers, Great Western Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust

The COVID Response Award

  • North East and Yorkshire: Barnsley Facilities Management – Hospital Estates Team
  • North West: Vaccine delivery programme for people with learning disabilities, Salford Royal Hospital
  • Midlands: Derbyshire Healthcare specialist vaccination team, Derbyshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust
  • East of England: Clinical Psychology Team at The Queen Elizabeth Hospital King’s Lyn
  • London: Margaret Harris, Domestic Services Manager, Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust
  • South East: Surrey Heath Place COVID-19 Response Team, Surrey Heath Primary Care Network
  • South West: Darryn Allcorn, Chief Nursing Officer, NHS Devon Clinical Commissioning Group

The NHS Rising Star Award

  • North East and Yorkshire: Jodi Roper, Child Psychological Wellbeing Practitioner, Humber Teaching NHS Foundation Trust
  • North West: Emma Larne, Biomedical scientist, Liverpool University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
  • Midlands: Zaynab Sohawon, Expert by Experience, Birmingham Women’s and Children’s (BWC) NHS Foundation Trust
  • East of England: Lauren Woods, Nursing Associate, North West Anglia NHS Foundation Trust
  • London: Dr Jahangir Alom, A&E Doctor( Barts Health) and Clinical Lead for the National Staff Vaccination Programme (NHSE/I)
  • South East: Alice Hendy, CEO and Founder, Ripple Suicide Prevention
  • South West: Laura Herlihy, Senior Dietitian, North Bristol NHS Trust

The Lifetime Achievement Award

  • North East and Yorkshire: Miss Jackie Thompson, Hotel Services Manager Royal Victoria Infirmary
  • North West: Ann Marr OBE, Chief Executive, St Helens and Knowsley Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust
  • Midlands: Professor Harminder S Dua, CBE, Chair and Professor of Ophthalmology, Consultant Ophthalmologist, University of Nottingham and Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust
  • East of England: Celia Kendrick, Head of Resilience & Emergency Preparedness, North West Anglia NHS Foundation Trust
  • London: Helen Mehra, Head of Nursing and Integrated Pathways, Enfield Community Services, Enfield Community Services – part of Barnet, Enfield and Haringey Mental Health NHS Trust
  • South East: Dr Edmund Neville, Respiratory consultant, Portsmouth Hospitals University NHS Trust
  • South West: Sam Clark-Stone, Lead Clinician, Eating Disorders Service, Gloucestershire Health and Care NHS Foundation Trust.