The NHS Parliamentary Awards - how to get involved
4 min read
The NHS has the greatest care team in the world. Now Members of Parliament have a chance to give them the recognition they richly deserve, writes NHS chief executive Simon Stevens
It is NHS staff and the wider care team – the nurses, therapists, porters, doctors, cleaners, volunteers, midwives, paramedics, carers, scientists, and countless others – who make the health service what it is today, our country’s proudest achievement.
That is why NHS England established the NHS Parliamentary Awards three years ago to give Members of Parliament the chance to say thank you to outstanding NHS staff in their constituencies, providing a high-profile way to show them – and the NHS organisations they work in – the recognition that they so richly deserve.
Among those recognised last year were a team from Sheffield whose pioneering work developed stem cell treatments for people living with multiple sclerosis, and the Safeguarding Team at West Hertfordshire Hospitals NHS Trust who work with police to provide safe and well checks for potential victims of sex trafficking.
Pamela Campbell, a nurse consultant at Solent NHS Trust, received the lifetime achievement award for her outstanding work with the homeless will this year sit on our national judging panel.
Nominations are not limited to clinical roles and are not only for NHS staff. We also want to hear about the unsung heroes like Rose Bennet, a domestic assistant from Portsmouth, who received the lifetime achievement award two years ago for the dedication and passion that she brings to her job.
There has never been a better time to work in the NHS. The NHS is the largest – and greatest – care team in the world and we want to ensure everyone’s contribution is appreciated.
This is the International Year of the Nurse and Midwife and it comes as we are launching a renewed drive to recruit and retain staff for some of the most challenging and rewarding careers people can undertake.
Last year, the NHS in England set out its roadmap for how the health service will expand and improve care for patients and their families at every stage of life – our NHS Long Term Plan to support people "start well, live well and age well".
As part of that we are now significantly increasing our NHS workforce to enable improvements in health and care such as new cancer treatments and personalised genomics to further expansion of mental health services.
We are therefore looking to recognise people and teams who have championed new ways of working that are not just better for patients but will also help us to make the NHS the best place to work with the Wellbeing at Work Award.
This year we have also introduced a new category, the NHS Rising Star Award, to celebrate young volunteers and staff members who have helped to shape and deliver better services in their area.
Since the inaugural awards hundreds of MPs have nominated over 2,000 NHS staff, volunteers, carers, and NHS organisations, from their local areas who went above and beyond the call of duty to improve care for patients.
The national judging panel has consistently been bowled over by the talent, creativity and brilliance in the NHS and health community that MPs and their staff have discovered.
This year the panel will be chaired by England’s Chief Midwifery Officer, Professor Jacqueline Dunkley-Bent and our judges are eager to hear from MPs about the examples of excellence in health and care from your area.
So please take the time to nominate outstanding individuals or teams from your local NHS, care providers and the voluntary sector before the deadline of May 1.
I look forward to welcoming those of you who can find the time to attend the formal launch and photo call with former winners in the House of Lords Attlee and Reid Room on March 4 between 1pm to 2:30pm.
The Awards Ceremony unveiling the winners in each of the 10 categories – alongside the MPs who nominated them – will take place on the 1st July in the House of Commons terrace pavilion.
It is a fantastic way to say a very public thank you on behalf of all of us to the very best of the best.
Simon Stevens is NHS Chief Executive
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