The hard work and dedication of local NHS heroes will be celebrated at an Oscars-style ceremony on the 28 June 2019 at the Mercure Bradford, Bankfield Hotel.   The You’re a Star Awards event will honour the outstanding work of staff and volunteers   at Bradford District Care NHS Foundation Trust.

Guests will be welcomed to the prestigious evening, where the winners of five award categories will be announced at an awards dinner.  Winners will also receive £1,000 to support their ongoing work to benefit people who use Care Trust services, courtesy of the event’s main supporter Bradford-based Sovereign Health Care.

This year’s five award categories include: Innovation and Quality, Working Together, Non-Clinical Stars, Unsung Hero and Improving Patient Experience. The awards reflect the Trust’s values of we care, we listen and we deliver.  The work of the finalists in each category will be showcased through short films and many of the people who nominated will be there to cheer on their healthcare heroes.

Amongst the finalists in the Working Together Award Category are Little Minds Matter: Bradford Infant Mental Health service, which offers relationship support to parents and carers during pregnancy and after birth; Thornton Ward, based at Lynfield Mount Hospital, who care for people with mental health problems through innovative practice; and the homeless and new arrivals team, who help connect the most vulnerable people in society with resources and support, including physical health drop-in sessions and mental health support.

Amongst the finalists in the Improving Patient Experience Award Category are the Infant Feeding Champions, who ensure women in Wakefield with breastfeeding issues receive consistent and excellent standards of care; Lisa Milne, a committed parent-infant therapist, who has been delivering outstanding person-centered care and making a real difference to the mental health of mothers and their infants; and the Patient Advice Volunteers, who visit the Care Trust’s mental health wards to receive feedback from patients to help enhance patient experience.

The finalists in the Unsung Hero Award Category are Mohammed Idris, a dedicated recovery coordinator for the early intervention psychosis team, who often goes the extra mile to ensure that the needs of the patients he serves are met; Bev Monkman a volunteer practice health champion who is extremely committed to helping others through her volunteer work with the Care Trust’s Champions Show the Way, which offers interesting, sociable activities and the Carers Hub, which offers carers a space to recharge to help them in their caring roles; and Ruth Foster a learning disability nurse at Waddiloves Health Centre, the compassionate and caring nurse is committed to supporting people with learning disabilities to have their health needs met.

Amongst the finalists in the Non-Clinical Star/s Award Category are Alison Cairns, a receptionist at Waddiloves Health Centre, who regularly goes above and beyond to help support colleagues to carry out their roles; the health, safety and security team, who have been noted for their customer focus and ‘can do’ attitude in delivering essential support, including continuous enhancements to health, safety and wellbeing for staff and patients across the Trust; and Akhtar Jan who provides key support to frontline services to ensure the smooth running of the Trust.

The finalists in the Innovation and Quality Award Category include Sophie Woode, a staff nurse on Thornton ward at Lynfield Mount Hospital, who finds innovative ways to support patients and improve the service to enhance patient experience; MyWellbeing College, which helps people navigate their way through life’s ups and downs, the team have developed a range of innovative self-help workbook that provide people with support for anxiety, low mood and panic; and  Orthochoice, which has been developed by podiatrists to offer patients the option to purchase additional pairs of bespoke insoles to wear inside shoes to control, realign and or cushion abnormalities when patients are seen for specific foot problems.

Mike Smith, Chair of Bradford District Care NHS Foundation Trust, said: “The You’re a Star Awards are a time to celebrate the work of outstanding individuals and teams over the last year.  It is an opportunity to reflect on the excellent work carried out, day in, day out, by many more unsung heroes across our organisation who make the NHS what it is today – a much loved institution that staff and patients can be proud of.  Our final 15 are all worthy winners who really do go above and beyond the call of duty. Their dedication, enthusiasm and skill are making a difference, providing high quality care, health and wellbeing to the people of Bradford, Airedale, Wharfedale, Craven and Wakefield.”