Awards recognise hospital staff excellence on NHS birthday

Sherwood Forest Hospitals Trust is pleased to announce the winners of its annual Excellence Awards, which took place on Wednesday 5 July 2023 – the 75^th birthday of the NHS. 

The Excellence Awards take place each year to honour colleagues and community partners who go above and beyond for the Trust. The ceremony, held at the John Fretwell Sporting Complex near Mansfield, was the first time since 2019 that the awards have been held due to the Covid-19 pandemic. A wonderful evening was had by all, and it was great to see so many people in attendance to celebrate the winners and their fantastic achievements. 

The awards are only made possible due to generous donations and sponsorship. This year the Trust was grateful for the support of sponsors ResMed, a provider of digital devices to help people with sleep apnoea and other chronic diseases and Sirona Medical, a UK-based healthcare recruitment agency. The Trust would also like to thank Mansfield and Ashfield Chad for their continued support as Media Partners for the People’s Award, which enables members of the public to thank individual colleagues or teams working at the Trust for their dedication and commitment. And special thanks must go to the Sherwood Forest Hospitals Charity, whose generous donations enable the awards to take place.

Several awards of note were handed out on the night, one being the first Lifetime Achievement Award which went to Gerrie Edwards, Corporate Matron at the Trust. She was nominated for her involvement in several projects within the Trust. Gerrie supported the Trust to achieve Pathway to Excellence accreditation, which globally recognises the Trust as an excellent place for nurses and midwives to work. She also leads the Shared Governance councils which provide staff a platform to have their voice heard and has been actively involved in the anti-racism strategy. As well as this, she mentors and supports aspiring black, Asian, minority and ethnic (BAME) members of staff and has consulted on the Internationally Educated Nurses and Midwives (IENM) survey which was highly praised by NHS England. The IENM survey is a voluntary survey undertaken by NHS England aimed at internationally educated nurses. The responses are fed back into the Midwifery International Recruitment Programme.

Gerrie said: “I cannot thank the beautiful people who voted for me enough. I feel truly humbled. I work with some incredible people who always have our patients at the heart of everything we do. Always be kind, always find a reason to make someone else smile.”

Margaret King, Domestic Cleaner at King’s Mill Hospital, is the recipient of the People’s Award, which is sponsored by Mansfield and Ashfield Chad and voted for by members of the public. She has worked in the Domestic Cleaning Team for 15 years and was nominated for the support she gives to young adults with learning difficulties, whom she helps into further employment with the Trust. Margaret has been described as ‘supportive and caring with the most wonderful level of patience’. She has very recently retired, and this award is a wonderful way to honour her for her magnificent work, time and dedication.

Clare Harris, of the Emily Harris Foundation, was the worthy winner of the Chair Award, which is specially chosen by Claire Ward, Chair of the Trust. She was chosen for her amazing efforts over the years in raising money for the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU), based at King’s Mill Hospital. Clare and her husband Neil started the charity in 2008 on what would have been their daughter Emily’s second birthday, after seeing first-hand how the unit benefits the parents of newborn babies needing extra care. The charity has since raised a quarter of a million pounds for the Trust.

Claire Ward, Chair of the Trust, said: “The level of commitment shown by all the nominees is so inspiring to see and it has been humbling to hear all their stories. Congratulations to all the winners and all of those who were shortlisted for awards.

“The Chair Award was created to acknowledge someone who truly deserves to be honoured for all that they do for the Trust, and I cannot think of a more worthy recipient than Clare Harris. Her efforts over the years have benefitted so many families who are going through the unimaginable and we are thankful for all that she has done since she started the Emily Harris Foundation in 2008.”

The Trust would not be able to function without the incredible efforts of its team of volunteers and the Volunteer of the Year award aims to honour those individuals. Newark Hospital volunteer Pam Weir, who has been in her role for an impressive 22 years and currently volunteers in the Radiology department at the Hospital, won this award for going above and beyond in all that she does, always greeting people with a smile and putting patients at ease by treating them with courtesy and respect.

Pam said: “It’s amazing to win. I never win anything – not even a raffle! The colleagues I work with are great and have been so supportive since I lost my husband.”

Paul Robinson, Chief Executive at Sherwood Forest Hospitals, said: “I always look forward to the Excellence Awards. It’s such a great opportunity to celebrate the amazing things colleagues have achieved over the past 12 months. Seeing all these wonderful people being honoured for going above and beyond in their roles and displaying acts of kindness and care to all those they encounter makes me so proud to be Chief Executive.

“I’d like to say a big thank you to all the members of the public who voted in our popular People’s Award category, your kind comments and feedback really do make all the difference.

“Many people comment on how welcome, inclusive, and friendly they find colleagues at the Trust and the Excellence Awards are a great chance for the Trust to celebrate all its amazing colleagues and honour their achievements.”

Please find a full list of winners below:

Multidisciplinary Team of the Year Award  Maternity and the Badgernet Project Implementation Team

Most Improved Team Award  Emergency Assessment Unit (EAU)

Chris McFarlane Award Samantha Dales

Rising Star Award Rachel Grzelak

Non-Clinical Team of the Year Award Sterile Services Team

Non-Clinical Individual of the Year  Paul Holt

Nursing, Midwifery & AHP Team The Early Pregnancy Unit (Rainbow Clinic)

Nursing, Midwifery & AHP Individual Emma Gregory

Doctor and Consultant Team  Acute Medicine

Doctor and Consultant Individual Amit Jaiswal

Specialist Healthcare Team Medical Equipment Management Department

Specialist Healthcare Individual Jodie Prest

Volunteer of the Year Pam Weir

Lifetime Achievement Award Gerrie Edwards

Community Hero Award Nikki Slack, West Nottinghamshire College

Community Partner of the Year  Matthew Lamb Director of Newark and Sherwood District Council

CARE Award Emma Strawther

The Chair Award Emily Harris Foundation

The People's Award sponsored by The Chad  Margaret King