Patients and public across the East of England are being urged to nominate an NHS member of staff that has gone above and beyond in this year’s Parliamentary Awards.

Launched last year, the annual awards were created to celebrate NHS staff, carers and volunteers – their hard work, innovative ideas and unwavering efforts to put patients first. They attracted more than 750 entries from over 250 MPs.

Winner of one category from last year’s awards in the East of England were The Butterfly Volunteers at East and North Hertfordshire NHS Trust, who won The Care and Compassion Award. The service, funded by the hospital charity, innovatively engages local people in the care of dying patients within an acute hospital setting – they offer compassionate listening and companionship, particularly for those with few or no visitors.

Five other teams and individuals across the region also made the shortlist last year:

• Diabetes and Mental Health Teams at West Hertfordshire Hospitals NHS Trust – The Excellence in Mental Health Care Award
• Renal Telemedicine Team at East and North Hertfordshire NHS Trust – The Future NHS Award
• Norfolk Just One Number Initiative at Cambridgeshire Community Services NHS Trust – The Person-Centred Care Champion Award
• Professor Barbara Wilson OBE – Founder of the Oliver Zangwill Centre at Cambridgeshire Community Services NHS Trust – The Lifetime Achievement Award
• My WiSH Charity at West Suffolk Foundation Trust – The Patient and Public Involvement Award

East of England MPs are now searching for and want to hear about outstanding individuals and teams in their constituencies for 2019 – those people who have innovated and impressed and made a real difference to how the health service provides care for patients.

Individuals and teams are key to delivering the NHS Long Term Plan by leading improvements on major conditions including cancer, mental health and stroke.

Dr David Levy, Medical Director for NHS England (Midlands and East) said: “The NHS Long Term Plan set out how the health service will expand and improve care for patients over the coming years, with action on the health problems which matter most to people.

“But none of these ambitions will be possible without the skill and dedication of the 1.3 million staff who work for the NHS, including our doctors, nurses, allied health professionals, cleaners, receptionists and many more. We want to celebrate with them as part of the NHS Parliamentary Award 2019.”

There are ten categories, including a Lifetime Achievement award, to honour those who have devoted their life or career to making the NHS better, both for patients and those who work within it.

All those who are shortlisted for excellence will be invited to an awards ceremony in Parliament to celebrate their fantastic achievements.

MPs will be calling for potential nominations in the following categories:

• The Excellence in Healthcare Award: an individual or team which is going above and beyond to improve outcomes and experience for patients living with and beyond cancer.
• The Excellence in Mental Health Care Award: an individual or team which has developed new and effective services to help people living with mental health problems in the community.
• The Excellence in Urgent and Emergency Care Award: an individual or team which has made improvements to how the NHS treats people in life or death situations.
• The Excellence in Primary Care Award: a primary care practitioner e.g. doctors, dentists and pharmacists or a team which is working with patients to help them stay healthy in their own homes.
• The Future NHS Award: an individual or team that has successfully trialled and embedded innovative change(s) to empower and improve care for patients.
• The Health Equalities Award: an individual or organisation that helps the NHS to do its bit by bringing together different groups and organisations to reduce health inequalities and prevent ill health in their community.
• The Care and Compassion Award: any nurse, midwife or care staff member of any discipline and in any setting who has used their skills to ensure that patients experience care and compassion.
• The Volunteer of the Year: to celebrate volunteers who help shape and deliver better services in their area.
• The Wellbeing at Work Award: to the person or team that has successfully trialled and embedded change(s) that have made the NHS a better place to work.
• The Lifetime Achievement Award: for an individual who has worked within a health or care setting for 40 years or more who has left a lasting legacy

To nominate: write to your MP with an outline of who you want to nominate, who they work for and what they’ve done that makes them outstanding one or more of the nomination categories.