Our Health Heroes to Recognise Talented Apprentices
Three high-achieving apprentices from Berkshire, Birmingham and Coventry are battling it out to be named Apprentice of the Year in the prestigious Our Health Heroes awards.
Members of the public are being invited to cast their vote for either Adam Cramp, a Nursing Degree Apprentice at Broadmoor Hospital in Berkshire, Andrew Daffern, Talent for Care Apprentice at Coventry and Warwick Partnership NHS Trust, or Badar Anwer, a Digital Communications Assistant at Birmingham and Solihull NHS Foundation Trust.
Organised by Skills for Health, National Skills Academy for Health and headline sponsor Health Education England, the annual Our Health Heroes 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.
Across the seven Our Health Heroes categories, healthcare professionals submitted almost 500 nominations – more than 120 of which were in the Apprentice of the Year category.
Adam, 27, from Bracknell was nominated by his work colleagues for his ‘can-do’ attitude and the positive contribution he has made to the teams he has worked with.
Meanwhile Andrew, 24, from Nuneaton, who has Asperger syndrome, has been recognised for his commitment to improving service for patients.
According to Coventry and Warwick Partnership NHS Trust staff, he has helped other team members to talk more openly about their own difficulties by being honest about his strengths and weaknesses.
And last but by no means least, Badar (21) has been singled out for his commitment, willingness and helpful nature.
He recently made a short film which is now being used to promote career opportunities within the NHS to school leavers.
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.
“The calibre of nominations we received this year was sky high; each one demonstrated excellence in patient care and teamwork, meaning our judges had a really difficult task!
“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.
“Each of our Apprentice of the Year award finalists are outstanding in their field and are thoroughly deserving of their places in the shortlist. I’m very much looking forward to meeting them all and celebrating the national winners at the award ceremony in November.”
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.
The Apprentice of the Year gold, silver and bronze winners will be announced, alongside the winners in the other six categories during an award ceremony on Friday 23rd November 2018 at London’s OXO Tower.
Notes for 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
