NHS heroes recognised at awards ceremony

Dedicated NHS heroes have been recognised for their hard work and commitment at an awards ceremony on Tuesday 5 June.

Solent NHS Trust celebrated the incredible achievements of its colleagues working across Southampton, Portsmouth, wider Hampshire and the Isle of Wight at the event held at the Hilton Ageas Bowl in Southampton.

The ceremony saw a total of 14 awards presented following nominations from patients and colleagues. Winners were then selected by an independent panel.

Paralympic champion Aaron Phipps, who won gold at Tokyo 2020 in wheelchair rugby, was a guest speaker at the event and spoke about his admiration for the NHS.

Andrew Strevens, Chief Executive of Solent NHS Trust, said: “I’m incredibly proud to be able to celebrate the extraordinary work and amazing achievements people across Solent NHS Trust accomplish every single day.

“Our people continue to make a difference to the communities they serve - enabling people to remain well and independent throughout their lives.

“We are passionate about recognising and celebrating the outstanding contribution of people who work at the heart of Solent and it is only right we are able to recognise these teams and individuals, who embody the Solent values, and ensure the care we deliver is the very best it can be.”

• Colleague of the Year went to Kerry Fodey, a Sister for the Portsmouth Community Assessment Team, for her energy and support she gives to her fellow colleagues.

• Sam Canfield won Manager of the Year for her compassionate leadership and embodiment of Solent’s HEART values.

• Team of the Year went to the Covid Vaccination Booking Team – who managed over 20,000 requests for NHS staff vaccinations. The team worked tirelessly to provide information, arrange appointments and give clarity around the vaccination to colleagues.

• Directors’ Choice Award went to Specialist Speech and Language Therapist Debbie Bloch for her excellent leadership and for her coordination of the Trust’s student placement programme.

• The Excellence Award was given to Carl Adams, affectionally known as ‘Tigger’ by those he works with for his boundless positive energy and enthusiasm. Carl, a trained physiotherapist who works in Quality Improvement, was praised for his person-centred approach and work to develop initiatives that support independent living.

• The two winners of the Unsung Hero Award were Liesl Houston, a Speech and Language Therapist based in Portsmouth, and James Richardson, a chef in the Trust’s catering team. Liesl impressed the judges through her excellent leadership skills. She has worked with tenacity, creativity and passion to improve the care and safety of residents in care and nursing homes. James was praised for ensuring that all staff, customers and patients have an excellent catering experience and always going way above and beyond to support his team.

• The HEART Values Award was given to Tiffany Jones and Gemma Pack. Tiffany, who works in child and family services, was commended for her passion for meeting the needs of young people and supporting those with specific sensory needs. Gemma was commended for her enthusiasm and for becoming an integral part of the roster team supporting the covid vaccination programme.

• The People Partnership Award – for bringing positive change by working alongside local communities – was given to Aishea Buckle in child and family services. She was praised for her humility and tenacity and compassionately and robustly challenging thinking across the service line around the language used in relation to the experience of the service users.

• Volunteer of the Year was given to husband and wife Ian and Alison Earle, described by one nominee as a “power couple for volunteering”. Very sadly, Alison recently passed away, but she is fondly remembered for her dedication to volunteering for many years. This included as trustee for the St Mary’s League of Friends and supporting the vaccination centres.

• Toni King from the mental health team was handed the Patients’ Choice Award. The service user who nominated her said: “I owe my life to her”. They added: “Toni has helped me change my life. After 20-plus years of self-harm, attempting suicide and feeling like I was never good and having so many issues in life. Despite me being hard work, she never once gave up on me and worked with me for a whole year. She dealt with more than a therapist should have to deal with. My life has changed completely and I’m nine months clean from self-harm (I used to self-harm daily). If it wasn't for this person, I wouldn't be alive. I owe my life to her.”

• The Research Award was given to Maria Bungaroo from Research team. Maria was described as a trailblazer for research in the Portsmouth care home community – improving care for residents.

• The Improvement Award went to the Musculoskeletal service for their Quality Improvement programme to deliver a combined physical and psychological group programme for patients with chronic lower back pain.

A huge thank you was also given Clares Office Supplies and Teqex IT Support who sponsored two of the awards.