Parliamentary Awards Celebrate Incredible Work of NHS Staff on 75th Birthday

Three teams from the South West won recognition today (Weds) as MPs from across the political spectrum came together to celebrate the work of staff in the NHS Parliamentary Awards, held on the health service’s 75^th birthday.

A multi-agency service in Somerset won the Health Equalities Award for its work to provide rough-sleepers and other homeless people with the care and treatment they need.

A multi-agency team in Devon won the Excellence in Primary Care and Community Care Award for its pioneering work to tackle domestic abuse and sexual violence.

And the Swindon Integrated Care Alliance Centre, based at Great Western Hospitals, was highly commended for its work to make sure patients get to the right place for urgent and emergency care.

The three were among nine winners at the South West stage of the NHS Parliamentary Awards in June, all of whom went on to the national event alongside nominees from the other six regions in England.

Please see below for notes on all three, along with contact details for further information.

Elizabeth O’Mahony, Regional Director for NHS England in the South West, said: “This is a real tribute to the fantastic work that’s going on in the South West of England, so I’d like to add my congratulations to all three teams and to thank our MPs to their ongoing support. We were impressed by the quality of the nominations that came in to us at the regional stage, so it’s gratifying to see such recognition at national level.”

Speakers at today’s awards ceremony included the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, Steve Barclay, Shadow Health Secretary Wes Streeting and Liberal Democrat health spokesperson Daisy Cooper.

This is the full list of winners at the ceremony in the Queen Elizabeth Conference Centre, Westminster:

• Excellence in Mental Health Care Award: The Lancashire and South Cumbria Reproductive Trauma Service has been awarded for comprehensive mental health support for those with PTSD from challenging pregnancy and birth.

• The Future NHS Award: A new artificial intelligence tool developed by doctors and scientists at Sheffield Teaching Hospitals and the University of Sheffield is speeding up diagnosis for thousands of NHS heart patients. The team, led by Dr Andy Swift and Dr Pete Metherall, have developed the innovative artificial intelligence (AI) tool which spots damage seen on MRI scans in seconds, speeding up diagnosis and reducing delays in starting treatment.

• Excellence in Healthcare Award: At University Southampton NHS Foundation Trust, their Prostate Self-Referral service set-up to help increase prostate cancer referrals in the Southampton area after the pandemic, has been a great success and helped catch cancers earlier.

• Excellence in Primary Care and Community Care Award: There are two winners this year. Devon’s ‘ground-breaking’ Domestic Abuse and Sexual Violence team, which is bringing together local authorities and the police to ensure joined up care for those affected by abuse. And London’s Richmond Road Medical Centre, which has delivered several innovative campaigns to transform the practice into a centre of health and wellbeing for patients.

 

• The Health Equalities Award: There were two winners of the Health Equalities Award. In Somerset, the winners are Homelessness Health, which provides GP care to those most vulnerable. The Anchor programme in Essex has helped those most vulnerable in the area into employment in the NHS and beyond.

• The Nursing and Midwifery Award: Pancreatic Specialist Nurse, Vicki Stevenson-Hornby has been awarded for her dedication in helping reduce waiting times in the pancreatic cancer diagnosis pathway.

 

• The NHS Rising Star Award: Dr Devina Maru is this year’s rising star. She has been helping to increase training on deafness through her passion for reducing inequalities to improve access to care for those who need it most.

 

• The Lifetime Achievement Award: Charmain Angela Case, Lead Clinical Specialist Nurse for Breast Screening at St George’s, has worked at the trust for 40 years. Charmaine has dedicated her career to caring for patients with breast cancer while demonstrating excellent patient centred care.

 

• The Volunteer Award: Pets As Therapy (PAT) Dogs and their selfless owners who volunteer with Queen Alexandra Hospital have improved the experience of, by boosting the moods/morale of patients and staff, which plays a key part in the rehabilitation of stroke patients.

Chair of the national judging panel and Chief Nursing Officer for England, Dame Ruth May, said: “I would like to offer my huge congratulations to the brilliant staff who have won awards this year.

“As we mark the NHS’s 75^th birthday, it’s important to recognise our 1.4 million staff who are responsible for ensuring patients are given the latest innovate treatments.”