Young volunteers, long-serving domestic assistant and ‘virtual surgeon’ among winners of NHS birthday awards

4 Jul 2018 03:41 PM

Individuals and teams representing the pride of the NHS in England were yesterday (Wednesday 4 July) honoured in Parliament as a part of a special, one-off awards to mark the NHS’s 70th birthday.

The NHS70 Parliamentary Awards, sponsored by IBM and Teva, were launched in February to recognise the massive contribution made by the individuals who work in and alongside the NHS.

MPs in England were asked to nominate individuals and teams serving their constituents across ten categories. Regional champions were selected in May, with the national winners chosen by a panel of senior leaders representing staff and patients.

Among those scooping awards at the ceremony, held in Parliament’s Terrace Pavilion, were 75-year old hospital domestic assistant Rose Bennett, who won the Lifetime Achievementaward for her 46 years of service to St James Hospital in Portsmouth. At the other end of the age spectrum, the Patient and Public Involvement award went to the Victoria’s Voice Youth Forum, a group of teenaged patients who work with Blackpool Hospitals Trust to improve services for others.

Professor Shafi Ahmed – dubbed ‘The Virtual Surgeon’ – took home the Future NHS award for his use of Google Glass and other gadgets to remotely teach millions of surgical students from around the world, making him the most watched surgeon in human history. Meanwhile, the Butterfly Volunteers, a group based at East and North Hertfordshire NHS Trust who spend time with patients who are terminally ill in their final days, were presented with the Care and Compassion award.

They were among the ten winners – selected from more than 750 nominations submitted by over 250 MPs – to receive their awards at a ceremony on the Palace of Westminster’s Terrace Pavilion, hosted by Dr Sara Kayat, NHS GP and TV Doctor. Health Select Committee Chair Dr Sarah Wollaston MP, Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt MP, and the panel of judges collectively representing millions of NHS staff and patients were also on hand to pay tribute to the winners and all those shortlisted.

Simon Stevens, NHS England chief executive, yesterday said: “As we celebrate the 70th birthday of the NHS, it’s an opportune moment to recognise the extraordinarily dedicated and selfless health service staff, and those who work or volunteer alongside them, who make the NHS what it is today: the institution that our fellow citizens say makes them proudest to be British.”

Ian Dalton, NHS Improvement chief executive, yesterday said: “Today’s winners encapsulate the amazing work of NHS staff and volunteers. We are celebrating all sorts of contributions, because it takes all sorts of people to make the NHS run, from heroes in unsung roles who have devoted their lives to the NHS, to innovators who are changing the way the NHS works.”

Wider celebrations to mark the NHS’s big birthday will include thousands of NHS Big 7Tea parties to raise money for NHS charities, whilst dozens of landmark buildings will light up blue, including York Minster, the Blackpool Tower, the Gateshead Millennium Bridge, the London Eye and Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park. The BT Tower will also run a special birthday message on its iconic infoband.

Award Winners