Sherwood Forest Hospitals shortlisted for Trust of the Year in the 2019 HSJ Awards

Sherwood Forest Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust is delighted to announce the Trust has been shortlisted for the prestigious “Acute or Specialist Trust of the Year” category at this year’s Health Service Journal Awards, which recognises outstanding contribution to healthcare.

The judging panel, made up of a diverse range of highly influential and respected figures within the healthcare community, have shortlisted Sherwood Forest Hospitals as one of eight NHS Trusts nationwide in the running to be named Trust of the Year. The Trust has been selected based on their ambition, culture, visionary spirit and the demonstrable positive impact that it has on patient and staff experiences within the health and social care sector. 

Over the last five years Sherwood Forest Hospitals has dramatically improved. In 2016 the Trust was in special measures and was rated by the Care Quality Commission as inadequate for Well-Led, Safety and Overall. Just two years later in July 2018, the Trust was rated as Outstanding for Caring and Good overall, with all services rated in 2018 assessed as Good for Safety, which shows how far the Trust has come.

The Trust proudly launched a new five-year strategy, Healthier Communities, Outstanding Care, in April this year which reflects how it is moving beyond thinking like a hospital, by working with health and local authority partners to focus on the wider wellbeing of the local communities.

In the last year the Trust has continued to branch out, working in partnership with system partners within Mid-Nottinghamshire and beyond and has been asked to ‘buddy’ Queen Elizabeth Hospital NHS Foundation Trust in King’s Lynn.

Within the last 12 months, SFH has also introduced ground-breaking initiatives for NHS organisations, including hosting conferences to raise menopause awareness and an outreach initiative with the homeless community, to support the care for this vulnerable group outside of a hospital setting.

Chief Executive Richard Mitchell said: “I am so proud of what my colleagues at Sherwood have achieved. To be in the running for the Acute or Specialist Trust of the Year accolade is fantastic as we continue to progress and strive to improve further.

“Like the wider NHS, we do not get everything right first time, but I believe most patients here receive excellent care and most colleagues enjoy working here. I am particularly proud that over the last year we are increasingly focussing on the mental health of our patients and colleagues here.

“Our annual NHS staff survey indicates we have one of the most engaged workforces in the NHS and the most engaged in the Midlands, whilst we continue to deliver on our finances.  We have been incredibly busy this year, and this is great recognition of the efforts of all of our colleagues – they should be hugely proud of this nomination.

“We very much look forward to welcoming the HSJ judges to SFH and taking the opportunity to celebrate the things that we are most proud of.”

HSJ editor, Alistair Mclellan, comments “We would like to congratulate Sherwood Forest Hospitals Foundation Trust on being nominated in the category of Acute or Specialist Trust of the Year ahead of this year’s 2019 HSJ awards. We are looking forward to welcoming them to the ceremony in November, to join us in recognising the very best achievements and innovations in the healthcare sector. The entrants this year have been of incredible calibre, and each of the finalists in this category have been chosen based on their outstanding commitment to excellence in healthcare.”

The full list of nominees for the 2019 HSJ awards (partnered by GRI) can be found on https://awards.hsj.co.uk/2019-shortlist.

Winners will be selected ahead of the 2019 HSJ awards ceremony, which is due to be held at the Battersea Evolution Centre, London on November 6th.