Voting Opens as Our Health Heroes Shortlist is Announced
**EMBARGOED UNTIL 00.01 25th October 2018**
A record number of healthcare workers and employers who are going the extra mile have been shortlisted at the third annual Our Health Heroes awards.
Organised by Skills for Health, National Skills Academy for Health and headline sponsor Health Education England, the awards celebrate the unsung healthcare heroes from across the UK, including those working in the NHS, who go above and beyond in their roles every day.
Healthcare professionals submitted almost 500 nominations in the following categories: Integrated Team of the Year; Staff Retention and Wellbeing Employer of the Year; Workforce Planning Team of the Year; Apprentice of the Year; Clinical Support Worker of the Year and Operational Services Support Worker of the Year.
While members of the public submitted over 40 nominations for the newly established Lifetime Achievement Award #NHS70.
Regional winners for the Clinical Support Worker of the Year and Operational Services Support Worker of the Year awards have now been put forward to a public vote to claim the national trophy.
Also up for the public vote are three finalists in the Apprentice of the Year category, for which there is a bronze, silver and gold award.
John Rogers, Chief Executive at Skills for Health, said: “For the third year running I’ve been taken aback by the number of nominations we have received for the Our Health Heroes awards.
“We would like to thank not only the public for their continued support, but also our fantastic sponsors, who have helped us to expand the awards again this year with the introduction of two further categories.
“These will ensure that even more people are recognised for their contribution to our amazing healthcare service.
“All of our finalists are outstanding in their field and are thoroughly deserving of their places in the shortlist. The calibre of nominations we received this year was sky high; each one demonstrated excellence in patient care, teamwork or staff retention, meaning our judges had a really difficult task!
“I’m very much looking forward to meeting all the finalists in November and celebrating the national winners.”
The shortlisting panel included representatives from Skills for Health, the National Skills Academy for Health and headline sponsor Health Education England.
It also included category sponsors NHS England, NHS Improvement, UNISON and Health Education England – North, which is made up of the South Yorkshire Regional Excellence Centre, the West Yorkshire and Harrogate Excellence Centre and the Humber, Coast and Vale Excellence Centre.
Kirk Lower, National Lead for Apprenticeships and Widening Participation for Health Education England (HEE), said: “Support workers and apprentices are a key part of the healthcare workforce and, through our Talent for Care programme, HEE supports employers with their workforce supply.
“This is achieved via school engagement, volunteering, work experience, pre-employment activity, apprenticeships and access to higher education and the registered professions.
“As the main sponsor for Our Health Heroes 2018, we congratulate everyone who is on the shortlist; it is clear from the high standard of nominations that both apprentices and support workers continue to play a vital role in delivering safe and compassionate care for all.”
Voting is now open via the Skills for Health website. Visit ohh2018.page.link/vote-now to cast your vote before Thursday 8th November.
All finalists have been invited to the Our Health Heroes Awards ceremony, where the winners will be presented with their awards, on Friday 23rd November 2018 at London’s OXO Tower.
Our Health Heroes 2018 finalists and winners
Integrated Team of the Year for 2018 winners:
Newcastle Regional Sleep Team from Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
Staff Retention and Wellbeing Employer of the Year winner – sponsored by NHS Improvement:
Kingston Hospital NHS Foundation Trust in Kingston upon Thames
Operational Services Support Worker of the Year regional winners – sponsored by UNISON:
Eastern and East Midlands: Rebecca Chapman, Antenatal and Newborn Screening Failsafe Officer at Northampton General Hospital
Greater London: Jiwan Ghumman, Business Support Officer at Hounslow and Richmond Community Healthcare Trust NHS
North and North West: Kirstie Lee, Management Secretary at East Cheshire NHS Trust
Scotland and Northern Ireland: Margaret Canavan, Ward Housekeeper at Belfast City Hospital
South of England: Matthew Watts, Head of News at University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust
Wales: Laura Newcombe, Administration Officer/PA at Hywel Dda University Health Board
West Midlands: Nigel Breeze, a painter at Princess Royal Hospital
Yorkshire and Humber: Elaine King, Volunteer Services Manager at Wakefield Hospital
Clinical Support Worker of the Year regional winners:
Karen Ellames, Children’s Therapy Support Worker from the Leicestershire Partnership NHS Trust
Eugene Majola, Senior Support Worker and an ambulance driver at Douglas Angus Care Ltd in Hertfordshire
Shiddik Ahmed, Healthcare Support Worker at Great Ormond Street Hospital
Amy Chambers, Senior Care Assistant at Birkdale Park Nursing Home in Southport
Donna Finnigan, Associate Practitioner at Monkwearmouth Hospital, Sunderland
Wilnor Tennant, Activity Co-ordinator at Musgrave Park Hospital in Belfast
Christine Duncanson, Clinical Support Worker from Royal Hospital for Children in Glasgow
Lauretta Langley, Healthcare Support Worker from Frimley Park Hospital in Portsmouth
Ellan Corner, Assistant Practitioner at Devon Partnership Trust
Lindsey Gill, Healthcare Support Worker at Neath Port Talbot Hospital in Wales
Steve Dawson, Healthcare Assistant at Midland Eye in Solihull
Maxine Housley, Clinical Support Worker at Sheffield Teaching Hospitals
Apprentice of the Year finalists – sponsored by the Yorkshire and Humber Excellence Centres (South Yorkshire Region Excellence Centre, West Yorkshire and Harrogate Excellence Centre and Humber, Coast and Vale Excellence Centre):
Adam Cramp, a Nursing Degree Apprentice at Broadmoor Hospital in Berkshire
Andrew Daffern, Talent for Care Apprentice at Coventry and Warwick Partnership NHS Trust
Badar Anwer, Digital Communications Assistant at Birmingham and Solihull NHS Foundation Trust
Workforce Planning Team of the Year finalists – sponsored by NHS England:
The Enhanced Nursing Care team from Lister Hospital
The Research and Development Clinical Delivery Team from University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire
The Rotating Paramedic Programme by Health Education England
Lifetime Achievement finalists – sponsored by Skills for Health and National Skills Academy for Health:
Helen King, a family support worker at Birmingham Women’s and Children’s Hospital
Malcolm Aiston, Managing Director at Northumberland Tyne and Wear NHS Foundation Trust Group
Joan Jenkins, receptionist at Ysbyty Cwm Cynon
Notes for editors:
Notes to Editors
About Skills for Health
Skills for Health has been working with employers since 2002 and is the Sector Skills Council for the healthcare sector. It is the authoritative voice on workforce skills issues and offers proven solutions and tools, with the expertise and experience to use them effectively. To find out more visit www.skillsforhealth.org.
About the National Skills Academy for Health
The National Skills Academy for Health (NSA Health) works with healthcare employers to help them create a qualified and transferable workforce. Every individual is recognised and valued for the skills they have; and encouraged and enabled to develop the skills they want and need.
To find out more visit https://www.nsahealth.org.uk.
About Health Education England
Health Education England (HEE) exists to support the delivery of excellent healthcare and health improvement to the patients and public of England by ensuring that the workforce of today and tomorrow has the right numbers, skills, values and behaviours, at the right time and in the right place.
About UNISON
UNISON is one of the UK’s largest trade unions, serving more than 1.3 million members who work in a range of public services and utilities.
UNISON’s 12 regions are Eastern, East Midlands, Greater London, Northern, Northern Ireland, North West, Scotland, South East, South West, Wales, West Midlands and Yorkshire and the Humber.
The union’s One Team campaign has been launched to ensure everyone in the NHS is valued, whatever their role. For more information, visit unison.org.uk
About NHS Improvement
NHS Improvement is responsible for overseeing foundation trusts and NHS trusts, as well as independent providers that provide NHS-funded care. It offers the support these providers need to give patients consistently safe, high quality, compassionate care within local health systems that are financially sustainable. By holding providers to account and, where necessary, intervening, NHS Improvement helps the NHS to meet its short-term challenges and secure its future. For more information visit: improvement.nhs.uk
About National Skills Academy for Health and Health Education England – North
The Yorkshire and Humber Excellence Centres (South Yorkshire Region Excellence Centre, West Yorkshire and Harrogate Excellence Centre and Humber, Coast and Vale Excellence Centre) unite employers from the NHS, social care, independent and voluntary sectors with quality assured education and training providers. Together they coordinate, establish and implement high quality skills programmes. This collaborative approach aims to enhance the effectiveness of staff recruitment, development and progression and give healthcare employers a vital, leading role in informing the sector’s skills development provision on both a local and national scale.
For more information on South Yorkshire Region Excellence Centre, please visit www.syrexcellencecentre.co.uk
For more information on West Yorkshire and Harrogate Excellence Centre, please visit www.skillsplatform.org/organisation/west-yorkshire-excellence-centre
For More information on Humber, Coast and Vale Excellence Centre, please visit humbercoastandvale.org.uk/how/workforce/humber-coast-vale-excellence-centre
