The NHS in the North West has revealed the ten individuals and teams it has chosen as regional champions for the prestigious NHS Parliamentary Awards.

The annual awards were launched in 2018, to celebrate the NHS’ 70^th birthday, and recognise the outstanding contribution of staff, volunteers and others working across the health and care sector, in local communities.

Since then, the NHS has seen the biggest health emergency in its existence and dealt heroically with the Covid-19 pandemic. And although all our NHS staff deserve the recognition, there are those that go above and beyond the call of duty to make the NHS a world class health service.

More than a hundred nominations across the ten categories were submitted in the North West, by more than 50 MPs; more than have ever been involved before.

Amongst the regional champions are St Helens and Knowsley Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust for their work to continue to provide cancer care during the pandemic, Salford Royal for their vaccine delivery programme for people with learning disabilities and The Macmillan Cancer Information and Support Service at East Lancashire Hospitals, who built links with the Asian community to ensure equality across the communities utilising their services.

A spokesperson for NHS England and NHS Improvement in the North West said: “We were so impressed by the high standard of all the entries from the North West this year.

“Our regional judging panel found choosing the champions, amongst more than 100 excellent nominations, very difficult. We want to wish those representing the North West the best of luck at the NHS Parliamentary Awards ceremony.”

 

The ten regional champions selected are:

 

The Excellence in Health Care award: St Helens and Knowsley Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust Cancer Services Team

The Excellence in Mental Health award: Oldham mental health joint response service – Pennine Care NHS Foundation Trust

The Excellence in Urgent and Emergency Care award: Crisis Triage Car – Mersey Care NHS Foundation Trust

The Covid Response award: Vaccine delivery programme for people with learning disabilities – Salford Royal Hospital, part of Northern Care Alliance

The Excellence in Primary and Community Care award: St Werburgh’s Medical Practice for the Homeless, Chester

The Future NHS award: Professor Shondipon Laha, Consultant in Critical Care Medicine and Anaesthesia – Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust

The Health Equalities award: The Macmillan Cancer Information and  Support Service – East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust

The Nursing and Midwifery award: Warrington and Halton Teaching Hospitals Maternity team. Project: Better Births, every time, through 100% continuity of carer.

The NHS Rising Star award: Emma Larne, Biomedical scientist – Liverpool University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust

The Lifetime Achievement award:  Ann Marr OBE, Chief Executive – St Helens and Knowsley Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust

 

The ten regional champions will now go head-to-head with others from across the country, that have been shortlisted, at the special awards ceremony on Wednesday 6 July in Westminster.

 

ENDS

Regional winners

The Excellence in Health Care award: St Helens and Knowsley Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust Cancer Services Team

Acutely aware that any delays to cancer treatment could have severe adverse effects on outcomes for current and future patients, St Helens and Knowsley Teaching Hospitals Cancer Services Team established the Surgical Cancer Hub at St Helens Hospital, providing a rapid, co-ordinated response to the delivery of essential and urgent cancer surgery during the COVID-19 pandemic. Between May 2020 and July 2021, the Surgical Cancer Hub received close to 300 referrals for urgent cancer treatment throughout the first three waves of the pandemic, for patients from right across the North West. These were patients where it was critical that they received timely intervention. Had the Hub not been in place, due the suspension of services across the country, there would have been catastrophic delays to their treatment. The Surgical Cancer Hub was then to develop into one of the first reporting Community Diagnostic Centres (CDCs) in the country, and since July 2021, St Helens CDC’s activity has reached over 12,500 across a range of diagnostic modalities.

Pat Gillis, Cancer Services Manager, St Helens and Knowsley Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, said: “We are so honoured to have been named the regional winner for the NHS Parliamentary Excellence in Healthcare Award, and to have been shortlisted for the national accolade.

“The last two years have been extremely tough for everyone across the NHS, but as a team we have been determined to make sure that any patient requiring urgent cancer diagnosis and treatment continued to be seen in the safest and quickest way possible in order to not delay their care and optimise their outcome. I am extremely proud of the way the whole team have risen to every challenge and been able to maintain excellent standards of care to our patients in such difficult circumstances.”

The Excellence in Mental Health award: Oldham mental health joint response service, Pennine Care NHS Foundation Trust

Mental health professionals, police, and ambulance staff in Oldham have joined forces to improve care for people experiencing a mental health crisis. A mental health practitioner and police officer jointly attend mental health crisis call outs to quickly provide the right support, in the right place, dramatically reducing attendances at A&E and 136 suites (place of safety for people detained by police).  The partners are also successfully running the mental health joint response service in Bury; Heywood, Middleton and Rochdale; Stockport and Tameside.

Karen Maneely, network director of operations for Pennine Care NHS Foundation Trust, said: “On behalf of the partners, I’d like to thank Oldham MP Jim McMahon for putting us forward for this award.  We’re absolutely delighted to be crowned the North West excellence in mental health award winner. The service is having such a positive impact, so we’re pleased to have the opportunity to share our learning nationally.

“Developing the service has been a real labour of love for me, but it wouldn’t have been possible without the expertise and commitment of everyone involved. This includes the mental health practitioners and officers who provide frontline care, the myriad support staff who plough away behind the scenes and the leads who helped break down barriers and drive forward the project.

“The success of the Oldham and Tameside pilot has led to the service being rolled out across all five of Pennine Care’s boroughs. We’re committed to building on this success, so we can continue to provide the right care to people experiencing a mental health crisis and better support their family and friends.”

The Excellence in Urgent and Emergency Care award: Crisis Triage Car – Mersey Care NHS Foundation Trust

A joint partnership working between Mersey Care, North West Ambulance Service, Merseyside Police, and British Transport Police has been second to none. The triage car team helps responses with a mental health professional who supports with the service user’s issues, during what is often a challenging crisis period within a community setting. The specialist mental health skills allow for assessment, treatment and pathway support at the initial point of crisis. Since its introduction a safer response is provided by assessing the person at the scene and diverting them somewhere aligned to their issues, therefore supporting effective use of Section 136 of the Mental Health Act and reducing detentions under the Act.

Donna Robinson, Chief Operating Officer, Mersey Care NHS Foundation Trust said: “The success of the mental health triage cars is linked to the collaborative approach between Mersey Care NHS Foundation Trust, British Transport Police, North West Ambulance Service and Merseyside Police. We built on early successes and adapted the service in response to growing numbers of referrals during the pandemic. We’re delighted to receive this award and believe it is worthy recognition for the work undertaken by our staff in unprecedented times.”

The Covid Response award: Vaccine delivery programme for people with learning disabilities – Salford Royal Hospital, part of Northern Care Alliance NHS Foundation Trust

People with learning disabilities face serious health inequalities, with death rates from Covid-19 estimated to be four times higher than that of the general population. There was a determination in Salford that having a learning disability would not be a barrier to accessing a Covid vaccination. Working collaboratively, staff from Salford Clinical Commissioning Group, Salford’s Adult Learning Disability Team, at Salford Care Organisation (part of the Northern Care Alliance NHS Foundation Trust), Salford Primary Care Together and GP practices across the City came together to support an initiative to deliver the vaccine to adults with a learning disability. Working in a flexible, imaginative and person-centred way, the community vaccine programme was tailored to meet the individual needs of this very vulnerable group.

Amanda Anderton, Clinical Nurse Specialist Learning Disability, Salford Care Organisation said: “We’re absolutely delighted to be selected as a regional winner. Our project has shown what can be achieved by working together and putting the patient at the heart of our approach – over 80% of people with a learning disability in Salford have had all three vaccines, higher than the Salford, Greater Manchester and England averages.”

Excellence in Primary and Community Care award: St Werburgh’s Medical Practice for the Homeless, Chester

The team at St Weburgh’s Medical Practice for the Homeless in Chester, are a committed and highly motivated General Practice team, working to reach, enable, and provide our patients experiencing homelessness with health and wellbeing services. They offer GP and nurse appointments as well as a successful in-house dietetic, chiropody, counselling, optician and mental health services. Regular multiagency working across health, social, statutory and third sector services facilitates its holistic approach. A priority has been to provide safe spaces for vulnerable women and to develop a sexual assault referral pathway. During the pandemic they continued to work creatively to maintain face to face services, to increase vaccine uptake and to reach “Everyone In”.

Dr Sarah Vellenoweth from St Werburgh’s Medical Practice said: “The team are delighted to be regional winners of the NHS parliamentary award for excellence in primary and community care. The practice has served the homeless community in Chester for 20 years. This award reflects the ongoing hard work and commitment the  team has to providing accessible, flexible and individual holistic care to these vulnerable patients. We hope the  award will raise the profile and concern for this group of patients who struggle to access mainstream services and we will continue to work creatively to meet their health needs.”

The Future NHS award: Professor Shondipon Laha, Consultant in Critical Care Medicine and Anaesthesia, Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust

Professor Shondipon Laha, Consultant in Critical Care Medicine and Anaesthesia at Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, executive of the national Intensive Care Society and an Honorary Clinical Professor at the University of Central Lancashire, has been nominated for the Future NHS award for his commitment to improving health care, championing research, and introducing innovative ideas throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. Professor Laha has demonstrated that collaboration between digital, technical, and healthcare companies, alongside clinical and scientific experts in the NHS can enhance healthcare innovation at record pace to improve the treatment and care of patients most in need.

Dr Shondipon Laha, Critical Care Consultant at Lancashire Teaching Hospitals, said: “I am honoured to have received the Future NHS Award – it’s testament to the support of Lancashire Teaching Hospitals, the Intensive Care Society and the University of Central Lancashire that I have been able to champion healthcare innovation to improve the treatment and care of those most in need.”

Health equalities award: The Macmillan Cancer Information and  Support Service – East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust

The Macmillan Cancer Information and Support Service (MCISS) at East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust discovered that its service was significantly underutilised by the Asian community. They have subsequently carried out a significant amount of work to reach out to this community, seeing over 30 per cent more Asian people now coming to them for help and information following a cancer diagnosis.

Catherine Farmer, Macmillan Cancer Information and Support Service Manager at ELHT, said being shortlisted for the award was something everyone involved in the project could be really proud of: “We are really excited to be shortlisted.

“The work we are doing is having a real impact and we are continuing to build links in the community so even more people can be supported by our services. It’s making a difference to so many lives and we are thrilled that our work is being recognised in this way.”

The Nursing and Midwifery award: Warrington and Halton Teaching Hospitals Maternity team. Project: Better Births, every time, through 100% continuity of carer

Warrington and Halton Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust became the first Trust in England to achieve 100% continuity of carer for all births – positively impacting nearly 3,000 women and their babies and families since then. Midwives have moved out of GP surgeries and women are seen in the communities where they live with a named midwife and measures in place across all pathways to ensure continuity is maintained. Five mixed-risk teams have been launched and are delivering better outcomes, every time. This is critical for their local communities where they know that babies born to mothers in the most deprived quintile have a 30% increased risk of neonatal mortality and the gap between the most deprived and the least deprived quintiles is widening.

Ailsa Gaskill-Jones, Deputy Head of Midwifery at Warrington and Halton Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust said: “We are incredibly proud to have been shortlisted for this award. Continuity of Carer is at the heart of how we work at WHH, to have this recognised is fantastic for the whole team who have worked so hard to implement the project. We have gone from a very low base in 2020 to 100% of women within the Warrington & Halton footprint now booked onto a continuity pathway which includes antenatal, birth and postnatal care. We have much we still want to do to hone and perfect our model of care. Being shortlisted for this award will definitely provide us with the energy and enthusiasm to continue to move our project forward.”

The NHS Rising Star award: Emma Larne,  Biomedical scientist – Liverpool University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust

Emma Larne joined the NHS as a band 2 in 2015. Driven by a desire to help people, Emma said “what better way to help people than working for the NHS?” Inspired by her parents and teachers at her school, Emma completed both a Biomedical Science degree and Biomedical Sciences Masters with a Specialism in Clinical Chemistry. Emma has now been in the NHS for seven years, and has been instrumental in developing one of the country’s best COVID-19 testing services over the last few years.

Emma Larne said: “I need to thank my parents for their role in any of my successes. My mum gave up her career to support me through school, and my dad, who is a nuclear engineer was always around to help me with homework and career advice. I have also been supported by some fantastic female managers, I feel I owe a lot to them for my achievements.”

The Lifetime Achievement award: Ann Marr OBE – Chief Executive – St Helens and Knowsley Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust

Ann Marr OBE has served the NHS in Merseyside for over 35 years and was nominated for the “Lifetime Achievement Award” for her inspiring leadership, and her commitment to delivering consistently high quality care and an excellent patient experience. Her pride in the NHS starts with the people that serve it, and by prioritising the care of staff as well as patients, Ann has been able to deliver outstanding outcomes for thousands of people in her local community.

Ann Marr OBE, Chief Executive, St Helens and Knowsley Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, said: “I am truly honoured to receive this recognition. I have worked in the NHS for over 30 years, and it has been a pleasure and a privilege to have the opportunity to serve my own local community, working with amazing colleagues to deliver the best possible healthcare that we can. I’d also like to take this opportunity thank the MPs for their nomination and for their support throughout my time as Chief Executive at St Helens and Knowsley Teaching Hospitals.”