Local NHS heroes were celebrated at East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust’s awards last week. The STAR Awards this year was celebrated virtually and watched via a video link for all colleagues to join and support each other as the award nominations were read out and the winners announced.
The annual STAR Awards recognise the fantastic work and achievements of colleagues and volunteers at the Trust, with 15 coveted categories, including Clinical Team of the Year, Outstanding Achievement and Rising Star.
A particular highlight was the Patient’s Choice Award, won by the Urology Investigations Team. Nominations for this award are from patients or their relatives and carers and recognises those who have made a significant and memorable difference to the lives and experiences of patients and their families. The winner’s nomination came from a family member of a patient who had been under ELHT’s care for 15 years and had sadly passed away.
It read: “They provided such a personal service and made him feel that he was the most important person in the room.
“They all definitely went above and beyond to which I will always be forever grateful.”
Accepting the award on the Team’s behalf, Georgia Tomlinson, Urology Sister for the Urolugy Investigations Unit said: “This is such an honour for the whole team. Ultimately, our patients are at the centre of everything we do, so to receive this particular award is incredibly humbling.”
The Trust also launched it's brand new Inclusivity Award this year. Celebrating colleagues who go above and beyond to ensure everyone has the same access to vacancies and treatment as each other. The first winner of this award is Registered Nurse and Practice Educator Samina Saboor.
Samina puts herself forwards to help anyone, and examples include ensuring dyslexic colleagues get the right IT support, working closely with local Iman to provide the best care for Asian women who have miscarried and promoting women's health to increase take up of smear tests. On hearing she had won the award, Samina said she was 'humbled and honoured' to win the award.
Commenting on this year’s awards Operational Director of Human Resources and Organisational Development at ELHT, Kate Quinn, said:
“Our STAR Awards are always the highlight of the year for colleagues and this year was no exception. The quality of entries was amazing and several left people in tears due to the compassion and care highlighted – they were truly touching and humbling to hear.
“Our teams work really hard throughout the year so this is a great opportunity to celebrate their achievements. We heard stories of incredible courage, passion, dedication and selflessness that left us in awe of our winners.
“I want to congratulate all our nominees and winners and thank everyone for making the awards extra special this year.”
Hosted by BBC breakfast show presenter, Graham Liver, the virtual event was streamed live, with over 1,500 viewers tuning in to see who had won.
The 15 winners were:
Employee of the Year – presented by Chief Executive, Martin Hodgson
Winner - Saraj Mohammed, Macmillan Cancer Information and Support Assistant
Leadership Award – Presented by Chief Executive, Martin Hodgson
Winner - Pam Henderson, Acting Directorate Manager – Clinical Laboratory Medicine
Clinical team of the Year – Presented by Executive Medical Director, Mr Jawad Husain
Winner - Infection Prevention Team
Non-Clinical Team of the Year – Presented by Executive Director of Finance, Michelle Brown
Winner - Mass Vaccination Lead Employer Team
Clinical Worker of the Year – Presented by Chief Nurse, Chris Douglas
Winner - Aleyamma Abraham, Advanced Clinical Practitioner in General Surgery
Non-Clinical Worker of the Year – Presented by Executive Director of Integrated Care, Partnerships and Resilience
Winner - Gina Holt, Community Administrator – Kiddrow Lane Health Centre
Compassionate Care Award – Presented by Chief Operating Officer, Sharon Gilligan
Winner - Nicola Gornall, Clinical Team Leader - Kiddrow Lane Health Centre
Quality, Innovation and Research Award – Presented by Director of Service Development and Improvement, Kate Atkinson
Winner - Joanne Gaskell, Bereavement Care Project Team Lead
Inclusivity Award – Presented by Operational Director of Human Resources and Organisational Development, Kate Quinn
Winner - Samina Saboor, Registered Nurse and Practice Educator
Unsung Hero Award – Presented by Freedom to Speak Up Guardian, Jane Butcher
Winner - Rebecca Slater, Emergency Nurse Practitioner
Volunteer of the Year – Presented by Director of Nursing, Julie Molyneaux
Winner - Christine Rafferty, Volunteer at Main Reception, Royal Blackburn Teaching Hospital
Role Model of the Year – Presented by Executive Director of Human Resources and Organisational Development, Kevin Moynes
Winner - Linda Platt, Critical Care Nurse
Rising Star Award – Presented by Joint Executive Director of Communications, Shelley Wright
Winner - Hayley Hudson, Clinical Team Leader – Kiddrow Lane Health Centre
Patient’s Choice Award – Presented by Non-Executive Director, Trish Anderson
Winner - Urology Investigation Team
Outstanding Achievement – Presented by Chief Executive, Martin Hodgson
Winner - Vicki Stevenson-Hornby, Pancreas Specialist Nurse
The ceremony can be viewed via ELHT’s YouTube channel via https://youtu.be/R-_WX-gwgv0