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NHS Engineer Joe wins national award for his 58 years’ service

An 81-year-old NHS Engineer who has been making a difference in hospitals throughout Derbyshire for 58 years, has today received a lifetime achievement award in recognition of his service over six decades at this year’s NHS Parliamentary Awards.

The awards, arranged by the NHS and supported by Fuji Film, are designed to recognise and celebrate some of the biggest achievements in health and social care.

Joe Sim, an Engineer and Energy Monitor at University Hospitals of Derby and Burton NHS Foundation Trust, was awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award during a ceremony that was opened by the Prime Minister at One Great George Street, Westminster on Wednesday afternoon (7 July 2021). Nominated by Amanda Solloway, MP for Derby North, he was among nine other winners announced during the ceremony.

Midlands MPs sent hundreds of nominations that celebrated examples of staff who have gone above and beyond the call of duty including doctors, support workers and volunteers who have worked tirelessly throughout the pandemic to make a genuine difference to the people they care for.

The 10 winners were selected from more than 700 nominations and were judged by a national panel made up of senior leaders representing both staff and patients.

Simon Stevens, NHS chief executive, said: “Since the NHS first opened its doors 73 years ago, our health service has faced the biggest challenge in its history with a pandemic on a scale not seen for a century.

“Staff have come together as never before, saving and improving the lives of hundreds of thousands of patients at an extremely difficult time for everyone.

“All of the nominees put forward for an award this year have done incredible work, and it is a great honour to be able to award our winners with the recognition they deserve for their incredible service to us all.”

Having held a number of roles at the Trust since his first job as Assistant Engineer at Pastures Hospital in 1962, Joe has become a well-respected figure and continues to advise the Trust as Energy Monitor despite ‘retiring’ in 1999.

Joe played an instrumental role in moving acute services from Derbyshire Royal Infirmary to the now Royal Derby Hospital, working closely with colleagues to outline the benefits of the move, knowing that he could help to build a bigger and better hospital which was easier to access for patients.

In his spare time, Joe also volunteers for the hospital’s League of Friends, delivering newspapers to patients on the wards.

Dr Nigel Sturrock, Regional Medical Director at NHS England and NHS Improvement in the Midlands, said: “Joe has lived and breathed the values of the NHS throughout his extensive career and I am delighted to see that his excellent work has been recognised with this award. I would also like to pay tribute to all the other Midlands nominees whose amazing work and dedication is reflected in the way the NHS runs every single day.”

Amanda Solloway, MP for Derby North said: “When we think of NHS heroes we automatically think of the nurses, doctors and surgeons who make us better, but there is a whole team behind the scenes, including the engineers like Joe, without whom the service would grind to a halt.

“It’s incredible to think that when Joe could be enjoying a restful retirement at home, 21 years after he officially left he is still, at the grand age of 81, going to work every day to carry out his duties as an energy monitor. He is an incredibly inspirational man who has made the NHS his life for nearly 60 years.

“At a time when we all owe all NHS staff our utmost gratitude, it’s my pleasure to have nominated Joe for this award and I’m delighted that he has been recognised for his many years of hard work and commitment.

“His dedication knows no limits and he is truly worthy of this award.”

Jacqueline Dunkley-Bent, Chief Midwifery Officer for England and NHS Parliamentary Awards committee chair, said: “This year has been an exceptional one, both in terms of the challenges we have faced and the calibre of entrants we received to the awards. Our shortlisting teams had an extremely difficult task to select from more than 700 nominations submitted by over half of all MPs representing English constituencies. It has been incredibly difficult to judge, but we are confident that all our winners embody the skill, professionalism and compassion of the NHS.

“I hope that these awards go some way in honouring the contribution these inspiring people and teams have made for their country.”