Healthcare professionals across the county are to be recognised in the Lincolnshire Media Health awards and the finalists have been announced.
The awards are a chance to thank the dedicated people who are there for us when we need them most.
This is the second time the awards have been held and they will take place on November 20 at the Doubletree by Hilton in Lincoln.
They are being held in association with Lincolnshire NHS and sponsored by Magna Vitae Trust for Leisure.
It’s been a difficult task for judges but the nominations have been whittled down.
Here are the finalists for this year’s awards:
Clinical Team of the year
This award recognises a clinical team in a hospital, community or primary care which consistently demonstrates good team working, to deliver an efficient and high performing service and improve patient care.
Healthy Minds
The team works with other organisations to provide mental health support and intervention for children and young people.
It was set up in response to a gap in service provision with children and young people with emotional well being issues.
The service works closely with schools to support young people, parents/carers and professionals, for concerns such as anxiety, stress and low mood.
Rotating Paramedic Team
The team are four specialist paramedics in Lincolnshire who work between GP surgeries, emergency operations centres and the 999 frontline.
paramedics Mark Hall, Gary Evans, Andrew Johnson and Karen Moreland also help provide patients with treatment in their own home. Patients on the East Coats often have to be transported to Pilgrim Hospital which can often mean a long wait for ambulances in the area.
The paramedics allow certain patients to be treated in their own homes.
Ashby Ward
All staff working on the ward have been nominated for the award. The person who nominated the staff said their dad would not be up and walking today if it was not for the staff working in the ward.
The nominator said they always received a friendly smile on the ward and nothing was too much trouble and the treatment was second to none.
Steps2Change
The service is the sole NHS service commissioned in Lincolnshire to provide talking therapies for Lincolnshire residents experiencing mild to moderate anxiety and depression.
This nomination however is for the highly dedicated clinical staff who work tirelessly to provide a quality service for our patients in difficult and demanding circumstances.
The service employs Counsellors, Cognitive Behavioral Therapists, Employment Advisors, Psychological Wellbeing Practitioners, Interpersonal Therapists and admin staff, often overlooked AHPs in NHS awards.
Doctor of the Year sponsored by BMI, The Lincoln Hospital
This award recognises a doctor or paediatrician in a hospital, clinic or GP surgery, who has made an outstanding contribution to patient care.
The nominations are:
Dr Zubair Qureshi
Dr Qureshi has has been praised for rushing from his home late at night when he was not at work to come to the aid of an elderly lady who had fallen and damaged her hip.
He contacted the ambulance service and updated them on the condition of her hip
Dr Radi Sultan
Dr Sultan has embraced Ingham and its local community. He is constantly striving to improve the care and services available at his Ingham Practice, ensuring his patients are well and truly at the heart of everything that is done.
GP Practice of the Year sponsored by Duncan & Toplis chartered accountants and business advisers
This award recognises a multidisciplinary team, led by their practice manager, that has had the largest positive impact on improving patient care in their GP practice.
A successful application will outline how the team worked together to make a radical change in their practice and/or in their local area and how they achieved it.
University of Lincoln Health Service
The University of Lincoln Health Centre has played a fundamental role in the development of its services.
They offer healthcare to an age range where there are very complex health care needs, but a high proportion of its patients have mental health concerns.
The Health Centre has amended its working hours to reflect the needs of the student population and offers support and campaigns on a number of revleant issues to its population including mental health and sexual health.
Greyfriars Surgery
Together Everyone Achieves More – an approach which Greyfriars Surgery has embraced over the last 12 months.
The GP Partners, Dr Doddrell, Niemotko and Oranugo have opened the surgery doors to ensure that patients are receiving holistic and responsive care in Partnership with other organisations and professionals. Time and resource has been invested to ensure staff are equipped with the required skills and motivation to be effective and happy in their work.
Trent View Medical Practice
By putting in place Advanced Care Plans, acknowledging patients’ wishes and recognising carers’ links, the practice is helping to keep patients out of hospital by recognising the end of life phase earlier and getting the appropriate support and symptom control in place ASAP.
They have gone from 57 Do Not Attempt CPR requests in 2014 to 163 in place today. The combined effort by clinical staff makes a huge difference to patients and their relatives and the clinical team are very passionate about palliative care.
Birches Medical Practice
In an attempt to help the homeless people in the town centre of Scunthorpe, the practice has started opening up the shower facilities between 10am and noon on a Tuesday and the practice Chaplain is supervising it.
The practice provides shower gel, a toothbrush and a new pair of socks – there are also towels that have been donated by a local charity. The practice then looks to register them if they do not have a GP.
Healthcare Assistant of the Year
This award recognises the healthcare assistants who promote the highest standards across the whole service. They make a huge contribution to the health and wellbeing of people across the county.
Ellen Franklin
Described as “the most amazing person”, Ellen has a wealth of knowledge and experience. She freely offers her time and knowledge to assist anyone that asks. She has worked for the NHS for a long time, previously being employed in mental health services. It is this experience, says her nominator, that truly makes her focus on patient centred care, always going above and beyond for both patients and colleagues
Julie Baker
Julie has been praised for her attention to detail when cleaning beds as patients left them on a ward – stripping them, wiping down all surfaces including the buzzer, light fitting, TV, chair, table. Her work has been described as meticulous and methodical as well as spending time with each patient checking they were okay or needed anything, despite being so busy.
Carrie Townsend
Carrie was praised for going above and beyond what she needed to do to help a patient cope with her needs after an extended stay in hospital which included time on life support and in isolation.
Midwife of the Year
The award recognises people who are determined to improve the birth experience across Lincolnshire and have provided outstanding midwifery care.
Luretta Johnson
Community Midwife at Welton Family Health Centre since 2003, Luretta has become part of Team Welton and worked tirelessly for all patients. She is said to have a heart of gold that shines through in everything that she does.
She always has a beaming smile and a cheery word for everyone she meets. Luretta is also said to have the unique touch for being able to deal with the not so pleasant aspects of her role – something she does with ease, compassion and always a kind soul.
Emma Upjohn
Emma is described as an outstanding midwife, who is committed, passionate and motivated to make a difference to women and their families. Over the past year, Emma is said to have made an outstanding contribution to the work of the Lincolnshire Maternity Transformation Programme, leading the development of two maternity community hubs.
These hubs are an essential part of ensuring that care is delivered to women in the community.
Hazel Harrison
Hazel has spent her career dedicated to midwifery care at Pilgrim Hospital and more latterly across the whole of Lincolnshire. She has worked her way up to be ward sister, matron and head of midwifery.
Having taken flexible retirement from her senior role, she has returned to midwifery practice on a part time basis, providing that excellent hands on direct midwifery care and her colleagues and women in her care are able to benefit from years of experience and unfailing service within the NHS.
Non Clinical Team of the Year
This award recognises a non-clinical team which consistently demonstrate good team working, to deliver an efficient and high performing service.
Bed Management Team
The bed management team keep track of patients, bed stock and out of area placements for Lincolnshire Partnership NHS Foundation Trust.
The team monitor admissions and discharge to maximise patient ‘flow’. They keep daily contact with wards in and out of Lincolnshire, visit out of county providers, are involved in the multi-disciplinary team process and work closely with community and inpatient teams to provide seamless joined-up care.
The team has supported the reduction in patients being sent out of area to receive treatment.
Skegness Community Hub
This is multidisciplinary team working at its best. This includes Skegness Midwives working with Local authority support workers. The staff feel privileged to have the maternity hub running at Skegness Children’s Centre.
Over the past few months they have been able to engage with families whilst they access their antenatal care and attending this service at the children’s centre has meant that they continue to engage with the services on offer once their baby is born.
Living With And Beyond Cancer Community Facilitators
Aaron Hall and Fiona Roche were appointed to the positions of Macmillan Living With and Beyond Cancer Community Facilitator in May of this year.
Their job is to oversee the community element of the wider Living With and Beyond Cancer project in Lincolnshire and involves joining up all facilities available in the community, identifying gaps in provision and ensuring the Recovery Package is rolled out across the county.
Since coming on board, Aaron and Fiona have thrown themselves into the job and have committed to attending all sorts of community group meetings, meeting clinicians and practice managers at practices across the county, meeting patients living with and beyond cancer and talking to as many people as they can to help build a picture of what is available in terms of services in the community already.
Nurse of the year
This award recognises a nurse for their excellence in practice and for the significant contribution that they make to their professions, their teams and their patients through their practice, leadership or research endeavour.
Elizabeth Reader
The person who nominated Liz said she has never met a more caring and compassionate nurse and person.
She has been a nurse all her working life and loves it. Since 2015 Liz has taken on a new role as practice care co-ordinator.
Her role mainly is to help avoid hospital admissions and care for the house bound patients within the surgery. Liz works many, many hours and persistently works hard to ensure the care needs of all her patients is always met to the best of standards.
Samantha McCarthy-Phull
Samantha has been described as a brilliant educational nurse and helps train newly qualified nurses and supports other colleagues but she has gone above and beyond to help those not as fortunate in the community.
Her drive to do something different resulted in hundreds of advent calendars and tonnes of food being delivered to food banks across the county.
Edmund Uweh
Edmund has been described by the person who nominated him as an “incredible nurse”.
He always goes above and beyond to the point he puts his own well-being and life on hold at times to help support the ward he works on and the patients. Edmund will always put the patients first and also his other colleagues. Edmund has such a huge caring heart and a wonderful cheeky personality that not only do the staff love but the mental health patients he supports.
Paramedic/first responder of the year
Paramedics and first responders play a pivotal role on the frontline. This award recognises a paramedic or first responder who has worked heroics to save a life or gone that extra mile for the benefit of a patient.
Nick Stuffin
Nick’s passion and dedication is second to none. He always wants to provide the best care for his patients.
He also volunteers his personal time as a LIVES Technician responder, often being the vital minutes needed to save a patient’s life.
So far this year Nick has attended over 70 incidents in Grimsby and Cleethorpes on a voluntary basis.
Steve Pratten
Steve is a paramedic working in North East Lincolnshire who is passionate about out defibrillators, making them accessible for the community and increasing out of hospital cardiac arrest survival rates.
He has worked hard to make sure there are defibrillators along the sea front and coastline within every 500m if someone goes into cardiac arrest.
Mally Ross
Mally has recently retired after 44 years in the ambulance service in Grimsby.
Within his career he has mentored and helped to progress many of our new clinicians and provided a listening ear for his colleagues when they needed it the most, who will never forget his support.
Over his 44 years of service he has delivered new lives into this world, sharing some of the happiest moments with his patients, provided compassionate care for those in their final hours and saved the lives of many others.
Research, Innovation, Education Awards sponsored by Micronclean Ltd
This award will go to the team/individual who have implemented an idea or innovative approach which has resulted in a saving of time or money, improved practice or a new way of working.
Melanie Weatherly
Melanie has led a huge amount of work with health and care colleagues to support her aim of ensuring that one of the most frail, vulnerable and usually very elderly, group of patients are in receipt of the highest quality care and support as residents of nursing or residential homes or in receipt of care at home.
Melanie has achieved this through her role as chairman of the Lincolnshire Care Association and this has enabled her to work with a wide range of care home teams, establishing excellent relationships across the system and gaining national recognition for the work she is leading.
This work has been recognised by NICE and Melanie and the team were invited to present their project at this year’s NHS Expo.
CAMHS
The nomination is for Abbie Futter and her team of child and adolescent mental health (CAMHS) peer support workers.
Abbie is the first Peer Support and Involvement lead in Lincolnshire CAMHS. Abbie is a social worker that specialised in working therapeutically with looked after children before she led the PSW project.
The peer support workers all have a lived experience of CAMHS. They provide emotional support and practical assistance to young people currently accessing CAMHS.
ASAPLincs
A new website and app have been launched in Lincolnshire to help people find the most appropriate health care service for their medical needs.
The ASAPLincs website and app has been built using the very latest attendance data from Lincolnshire’s emergency departments and is designed to allow residents to identify their symptoms or condition from some of the most commonly seen in emergency departments, before displaying the most appropriate treatment service for them.
Health bosses believe the new product will help patients get the best care in the fastest possible time – while reducing pressure on emergency departments through fewer unnecessary attendances.
Rising Star of the Year
This award seeks a newly qualified clinician or non-clinician who is committed to professional development.
Lucy Meyer
Lucy is described by her nominator as a star in the making, she is making a significant difference to the lives of many. On a daily basis as a GP receptionist and Administrator for the Greyfriars Surgery Older Adult Team she makes an amazing difference to the lives of patients, their families, her colleagues and the surgery as a whole.
She has a passion for caring, kindness and fairness and despite being described as meek and mild, she is said to have strength and determination to help her carry out her role. Lucy is a highly regarded team member.
Lyn Jones
The national requirement to implement 111 online has been hugely challenging, not least due to IT difficulties. Regionally, the issues have been significant and seemingly prohibitive to the project going live, but Lyn has always been one step ahead of the game, not only ensuring Lincolnshire was ready to go live in a seamless manner, but also as a vital component in supporting the region going live.
Her reputation is exemplary at a number of organisations within the county and beyond and has become the guru in her field. Everybody has something positive to say about Lyn and nobody has a bad word.
Hannah Blackwell
Hannah works at Horncastle Medical Practice as a Practice Nurse. She is described as an excellent and popular practice nurse, but is also being recognised regionally and nationally for the work she is doing on attracting newly qualified nurses into general practice.
She has successfully worked to attract 12 newly qualified nurses into general practice in Lincolnshire in a year and is looking to do the same again.
Support Staff of the Year sponsored by Lincs Independent Living Partnership
This award recognises the unsung hero. It will be someone who consistently goes above and beyond – going the extra mile for the benefit of patients.
Jake Shepherd
Jake is a radiology porter at Lincoln County Hospital having previously done other work within the hospital setting. He is always trying to better himself while always smiling and trying to make a patient’s hard time a better experience. He is always very professional and it doesn’t matter what type of mood or day he is having, Jake will always put a smile on his face and put others first.
Pamela Beattie
Having supported a dying parent with young children, Pam was struck by the impact that simple resources could have on the short, medium and long term coping ability of bereaved children. She began collecting pens, notepads, memory cards, soft toys and puzzles and put them together into bags for the children.
Sadly, many bags have already been required but the extension of kindness at such a difficult time has provided much needed comfort to patients and families. As hospital chaplain, she epitomises spiritual care.
Rachel Shiels
As Medical HR Manager at Lincolnshire Partnership Foundation NHS Trust, Rachel has led and produced amazing outcomes the last 12 months for the Trust, impacting directly on medical staff, patient care and improving finances. She has reduced medical agency usage by 67 per cent, reduced the trust’s vacancy rate and developed and implemented several new roles to help drive improvement within the trust.
Therapist of the Year
This award recognises outstanding practice by an occupational therapist, speech therapist, podiatrist psychologist or physiotherapist.
Edwell Munyonga
Edwell is described as an exceptional Occupational Therapist who demonstrates real care and respect for his colleagues and patients alike. He was working one weekend and doing a home assessment, taking a patient from the hospital who had had a lower limb amputation.
During the visit his colleague became very unwell. Edwell then returned to the hospital taking the patient to the ward and his colleague to A&E. Edwell is also vice chair of the BAME network group for the Trust as he is never one to shy away from taking a leading role to promote equality and diversity.
Cheryl Stelfox
Cheryl is a highly specialised Clinical Psychologist working for the General Adult Psychology Service in Lincolnshire. She has been nominated for going above and beyond to provide exceptional support to a resident’s mother.
Her nomination says she stepped outside of the conventional bounds of the therapy room to provide client centred care at a time when it was needed. She made adjustments to meet physical, emotional and psychological needs whilst balancing the ever demanding challenges within the NHS.
Jenny Whiley
Jenny is described as an inspiring Speech and Language Therapist with an innovative and forward thinking approach. She is described as an excellent leader, empowering staff to work harmoniously and with high skill across several SLT services. She regularly goes above and beyond in supporting both staff and patients.
Volunteer of the Year
This award recognises a volunteer or voluntary team who work tirelessly and generously give their free time, enthusiasm and energy to help improve the local healthcare services, facilities and support for patients, visitors and their families.
Lincs Emergency Blood Bikes Services
Lincolnshire Emergency Blood Bikes Service is a team of volunteers who provide a free courier service transporting essential medical items – including blood – between hospitals and healthcare facilities within Lincolnshire.
Since the summer of 2017, the LEBBS volunteers have been the vital link between Lincoln County Hospital and the Lincs & Notts Air Ambulance airbase at RAF Waddington, delivering blood for the helicopter on a daily basis, in all weathers. They are funded entirely by donations.
Suzanne Willis
Suzanne has been involved in management of the Happy Breathers group supporting people with COPD. The group has been running for the last two years and has made a significant difference wellbeing of people living with COPD and their carers as evidenced through feedback from people attending the group
Alan Lee
Alan has been described as an “exceptional volunteer” after going through his own treatment through the cardiac rehabilitation service.
Alan is a member of a walking football club at NK leisure centre and he has been key in promoting this as a good follow on form of exercise for our patient post cardiac rehabilitation programme.
Because of his enthusiasm and openness in the last six months six patients have gone to join this walking football.
Pharmacy Team of the Year
This award recognises teams which deliver great patient care, those which put themselves at the heart of the community they serve and how it has used individual skills and strengths to create an even more powerful team – all to the benefit of patients.
Damian Ltd, Brigg
The pharmacy team has grown over the last four years. The front of house staff have a very good repore with the general public, with Dawn Wilcox being the supervisor and general go-to person.
The pharmacy team work very hard and has opened up a travel clinic which has widely improved footfall. They are seeing lots of positive outcomes as a result of the clinic.
Ancora healthcare
Alistair Kennedy leads a team of pharmacists, technicians and dispensing assistants in a rapidly growing pharmacy.
In just a few years the pharmacy has become the most important place in Scunthorpe for delivering a needle exchange programme and supervised consumption of medication. This is achieved through an ethos of education and training.
They currently have a pharmacist studying for her independent prescriber status, a second one undertaking a post-graduate clinical diploma and the third pharmacist has just completed her pre-registration training within the pharmacy.
The pharmacy trained their Accuracy Checking Technician in house and another dispensing assistant is nearing the end of his course to become a dispensing technician.
