To celebrate the NHS’s 70th birthday, Rachel Maclean, the MP for Redditch County, has nominated two local health and care teams for national awards to mark this special occasion.
The NHS70 Parliamentary Awards, sponsored by IBM, was set up to recognise the massive contribution made by the individuals who work in and alongside the NHS.
MPs in England were called on to put forward outstanding nominees who have innovated, impressed and made a real difference to how local health and care services provide care for patients.
Nominations closed back in March, and now Rachel has revealed which local health and care heroes get her vote of confidence after she issued a rallying call to Redditch residents urging them to put forward individuals for her to nominate.
As chosen by Rachel, the following are now the official nominees representing Redditch County in the national competition:
- The Excellence in Cancer Care Award: The Garden Suite team at the Alexandra Hospital. Dr Clive Irwin, Clinical Oncologist, and his team were nominated for the awe-inspiring support they provided to a constituent who was receiving treatment in The Garden Suite. The constituent who asked Rachel to nominate the Garden Suite said how the team’s dedication to their discipline is the reason their partner is still alive today.
- The Person-Centred Care Champion Award: The Dementia Nursing Team at Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust. Led by Donna Kruckow, Lead Nurse Dementia & Older People, the Dementia Nursing Team were nominated after they established a shared vision to provide excellent person-centred dementia care and in 2017 launched a Dementia Strategy for the Trust. Since then the enthusiastic and highly dedicated team have established a collaborative partnership approach, working with the Alzheimer’s Society and supported by the Acute Trust Board to implement the strategy. The team have also successfully trained over 116 dementia friends across the Trust in 12 months.
Nominees put forward by MPs will initially be judged by senior local and regional NHS experts to find regional champions in each category, which will be announced on May 21st.
These regional champions will then be judged by a high-level panel, with the overall winners announced at a special awards ceremony in Parliament on Wednesday, July 4th – the day before the NHS’s 70th birthday.
The NHS70 Parliamentary Awards is part of a range of activities being organised nationally and locally to mark the achievements of the NHS and those who work for and with it.
Rachel is also encouraging Redditch residents to take part in The Big 7Tea, with tea parties happening across the country to mark the birthday, sharing their NHS stories and raising money for one of over 250 dedicated NHS charities.
Rachel said: “Myself and everyone in Redditch is rightly proud of all the staff at the Alex hospital, as well as those who provide other NHS services in our town.
“I’m delighted to be taking part in the NHS70 Parliamentary Awards as a way of thanking and recognising the people who work in or support those services. I can’t wait to present the Garden Suite team and the Dementia Nursing Team with their nomination certificates which I hope they’ll proudly display for all to see.
“As well as getting behind our nominees for these awards, I hope residents will take the opportunity to mark the NHS’s 70th birthday in other ways, whether it’s by finding out more about its history, sharing their NHS memories and stories, getting involved in local events and tea parties, or being inspired to keep themselves well and use health services wisely.”
People can find out more and how to get involved at www.nhs70.nhs.uk.