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Team NUH Award winners announced at virtual ceremony
Tonight (Wednesday 13th October) we announced the overall winners of our inaugural Team NUH Awards. The nine winners were revealed during a live television studio style broadcast watched by a virtual audience of over 400.
Over the past year, we have celebrated excellence in patient care, innovation and leadership with 28 award winners and over 530 shortlisted nominees across nine award categories, with judging and mini ceremonies taking place three times over the last 12 months.
The ceremony brought all previous winners together to crown an overall winner in each award category.
NUH has almost 17,000 staff which means a lot of people in a variety of job roles; all contributing to keeping our big, busy, acute hospitals running every day of the year.
To recognise and reward all the incredible hard work and achievements of our staff and volunteers, last year we relaunched our staff recognition programme as the Team NUH Awards.
Speaking just before the live award ceremony NUH Chair, Eric Morton, said: “The Team NUH Awards have highlighted just a fraction of the incredible work that goes on at Nottingham University Hospitals, day in, day out.
“On behalf of the whole Executive team, I want to say a heartfelt thank you to everyone who has been nominated for a Team NUH Award – our winners, highly commended and those who received a nomination. We know that the professionalism, care, dedication and ability to inspire evident in every single award nomination is reflected right across our Trust, in every service, ward and team. It’s an honour and a privilege to be a part of this celebration of our fantastic people and teams tonight”.
The hotly anticipated live ceremony, hosted by Eric and Acting Chief Executive and Chief Financial Officer Rupert Egginton, announced the overall award winners across nine categories, which align to the Trust’s values. The first letter of each value spelling out TEAM NUH. A Public Award and Volunteer of the Year Award completed the line-up. The overall winners are:
- Trust Award - Ayleen Forfar, Macmillan Cancer Support Officer. Ayleen’s nomination talks about how she consistently puts service users first, treating everyone with respect and dignity, and how she exudes compassion to both her patients and her colleagues. She was redeployed twice during Covid-19, without complaint, but with determination to support our hospitals and patients.
- Empower Award - Covid-19 Microbiology Team. This team set up a brand new Covid-19 testing service at incredible speed, and supported not only NUH but other local hospitals. This team are nominated for their dedication to finding solutions to challenges and for the pivotal part they have played in NUH’s response to Covid-19.
- Ambitious Award - Olga Gooch and Deanna Kelly, Cleaning Service Assistants in the Rapid Response Cleaning Team. Best friends in and out of work, these ladies were nominated for their incredible courage, relentless cheeriness even through the darkest of times, and for the encouragement they have given to new starters in their team to deliver an excellent cleaning service.
- Mindful Award - Arthur Shivas, Chaplain. Nominated for being there for people at the drop of a hat, for providing comfort and a listening ear, Arthur is described in his nomination as “a crutch for staff to lean on” during the most difficult of times.
- Nurturing Award - Eleanor Mandac, Ward Sister.
- Ela’s caring and inclusive manner led to multiple nominations for her. Praised for her openness, and how she manages to remain accessible despite her workload as a Ward Manager, her team say that she supports you from the very start of your career on her ward and the environment that she creates makes you feel cared for and invested in.
- United Award - Matt Bodell, Hospital@Night Coordinator and Nurse. Matt set up a dedicated Team NUH Facebook support group, uniting staff from across the organisation to help each other through uncertain times. He was also a key part in the NUH Foodbanks project, demonstrating his commitment to wanting to do the best for local people.
- Honest Award - Clare Cooper, Patient and Family Liaison Officer. As a key contact for our patients and their families, Clare was nominated for the support that she provides to families ongoing clinical investigations.
- Public Award - Laura Bennett, Children's Burns and Plastics Clinical Nurse Specialist. Laura delivered outstanding patient care to little boy William and made dark times happier times. She crafted a story book to help William and his family comprehend his amputations.
- Volunteer of the Year Award - Alex Lane, Youth Service Volunteer. Going above and beyond part of the NUH Youth Club, Alex arranged online Youth Clubs, to ensure support continued young people living with long term health conditions during Covid-19.
The Ambitious Award was won by Olga Gooch and Deanna Kelly, Cleaning Service Assistants in the Rapid Response Cleaning Team. Olga said: “We are so proud that cleaning services have been recognised tonight, and we’re both very honoured to accept this award”.
Deanna added: “We can’t thank our coordinators, and managers Millie and Pat, enough for supporting us and believing in us enough to nominate us for this award”.
Alex Norris, MP for Nottingham North who announced Olga and Deanna’s win, said: “It’s clear from their nomination during these challenging times that Olga and Deanna have gone above and beyond for patients and staff. They’ve inspired others and their nomination says that they ‘fought like lions’ throughout the pandemic, never complaining, uniting teams and helping new starters to build their confidence. Well done to Olga and Deanna, and everyone else nominated for an award tonight”.
Laura Bennett, Children's Burns and Plastics Clinical Nurse Specialist was crowned overall winner of the Public Award for her work with William, a little boy who had both legs amputated, and the picture book she produced to help William come to terms with his amputations and subsequent treatment.
Accepting her award at the live ceremony an emotional Laura said: “This award is so special to me, and William is a very special little boy to me. Working with William and his family has been a real privilege, and I’d like to thank the family for taking the time to nominate me”.
“And a special mention to ‘Stinky Ted’. Although he was very pesky, and stinky, without him I don’t think we could have got through some of the more difficult dressing changes with William. Thanks also to my fantastic colleagues in the Burns and Plastics Team. This award reflects on all of us, including the wider Childrens hospital team”.
Natalie Fahy, Editor of Nottinghamshire Live and the Nottingham Post, who announced Laura’s win, said: “Laura made William’s life bearable at a time when he was frightened about what was happening, and helped his family and school friends understand what was happening to William.
“The book Laura produced, which William still treasures, really helped William to understand some of his feelings, and it certainly brought a tear to my eye. It brings me great comfort that people like Laura are out there for us all, during the hardest times in our lives. Congratulations on your win Laura!”
In other categories, the Covid-19 Microbiology Team were praised by Professor Stephen Ryder, Clinical Director, Research & Innovation at NUH for “rising to the challenge and responding in the best possible way to meet the needs of patients, our communities and of Team NUH”. Professor Ryder added that it was pleasing to recognise the “contribution that our scientists have made throughout the pandemic and I hope your win will inspire more people to develop a career in healthcare science.”
Ward Sister Eleanor Mandac won the Nurturing category, having received multiple nominations, “highlighting how inspiring she is to the team and how much she embodies great leadership”. One of Eleanor’s nominators said: “she supports and encourages all her staff, and acknowledges the small things we do that make a massive difference.”
The psychological impact of the pandemic, particularly on the mental wellbeing of hospital staff, has been well documented. Overall winner of the Mindful Award, NUH Chaplain Arthur Shivas, was commended for his work to support NHS staff and was described as a “lifeline to lots of individuals who have struggled with the impacts of covid-19” by category sponsor, Health Assured.
“Arthur’s compassion, care and wicked sense of humour has had such a wonderful impact on so many staff patients and their families. He’s always thinking about others and how he can make people laugh in some of their darkest of times.”
We are exceptionally pleased for all of the winners and we wish to congratulate them once again on their incredible achievements. Our awards ceremony was made possible by our fantastic sponsors, who we wish to thank for their generosity and support.
Thank you to our judges
- Chief Constable Guildford, Nottinghamshire Police
- Amanda Sullivan, Accountable Officer, NHS Nottingham and Nottinghamshire CCG and Interim Executive Lead Nottingham and Nottinghamshire Integrated Care System
- Alex Norris MP
- Richard Henderson, CEO East Midlands Ambulance Service
- Darren Henry MP
- Nicholas Randall, Nottingham Forest FC Chairman
- Caroline Henry, Police and Crime Commissioner, Nottingham and Nottinghamshire
- Natalie Fahy, Editor of the Nottingham Post, Derby Telegraph and Lincolnshire Echo
- Sarah Julian, BBC Radio Nottingham Breakfast Presenter
And a big thank you to our Award category sponsor, who made the event possible:
- Trust Award: Blue Light Card
- Empower Award: Research and Innovation at NUH
- Ambitious Award: Nottingham Health Science Partners
- Mindful Award: Health Assured
- Nurturing Award: Nervecentre
- United Award: NET Tramlink Nottingham
- Honest Award: Browne Jacobson
- Volunteer of the Year Award: Tusker
- Public Award: Nottingham Hospitals Charity
Know someone amazing at NUH?
Whether you're a member of the public wanting to recognise the great care or treatment you received at NUH, or a member of staff wanting to recognise just how amazing one of your colleagues is, see our Team NUH Awards page for details of how to make a nomination.