Mike Smith, ChairBradford District Care NHS Foundation Trust hosted its annual You’re A Star Awards on the 28 June 2019. The evening recognised the achievements of extraordinary Care Trust staff and volunteers, the everyday heroes who have gone the extra mile to support local communities.

The red carpet was rolled out to welcome guests to the Mercure Bradford, Bankfield Hotel, where, during the Oscars style ceremony, dedicated staff and volunteers from across the district were recognised across five award categories and the winners were revealed. This year’s categories included Innovation and Quality, Working Together, Non-Clinical Star/s, Unsung Hero and Improving Patient Experience.

The You’re A Star Awards showcase the very best examples of outstanding care across Bradford, Airedale, Wharfedale, Craven and Wakefield.  Now in their fifteenth year, the awards are the highlight of the Trust’s calendar.

Nominations came from colleagues across the Trust and many were among the guests in attendance at the ceremony.

The event’s main supporter, Bradford-based Sovereign Healthcare, provided £1,000 to the winner of each category to support their ongoing work to benefit patients.

Short films highlighting nominee achievements were screened as part of the ceremony to showcase the work and quality of care delivered by Trust staff and volunteers over the past 12 months. Some included heartfelt testimonials from patients and carers.

Chair of Bradford District Care NHS Foundation Trust, Mike Smith, paid tribute to a wide range of healthcare professionals and volunteers across the Trust, which included community health, mental health, children’s voluntary and central services.

Mike Smith said: “The awards reflect the extraordinary care our dedicated staff and volunteers deliver every day, often going above and beyond to ensure that people that use our services get the best possible care. Our annual awards recognise these remarkable people and it’s right that we come together to pay tribute to these healthcare heroes.”

Mike also extended his thanks on behalf of the Trust’s Board to Sovereign Health Care and all other organisations that made the event possible and congratulated and thanked all nominees for their hard work and dedication.

Mohammed Idris

The winner of the Unsung Hero Award Category went to 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.   People who have used the Trust’s services have credited Mohammed with helping them to get their lives back on track and motivating them to succeed to make meaningful and personal mental health recoveries.

An example of Mohammed’s dedication to his work can be illustrated when, following the death of a patient, Mohammed worked tirelessly to ensure the person was given a burial in keeping with their Islamic faith.  Under normal circumstances the coroner would rely on social services for funeral arrangements, however this would not have been in keeping with the person’s religious beliefs.  As there were no family members in the UK to ensure the funeral arrangements were appropriate to the Islamic faith, Mohammed went above and beyond his usual working hours, using his own contacts and community resources, to ensure the person was given a traditional Muslim burial in a Bradford cemetery.

Commenting on winning the award, Mohammed humbly said: “This award is not just about me, getting this award is a reflection of the hard work and dedication of the whole team. It’s not just my recognition, it’s the team’s recognition.”

homeless and new arrivals teamThe winner of the Working Together Award Category went to the homeless and new arrivals team, who help connect the most vulnerable people in society with meaningful and helpful activities, resources and support, including physical health drop-in sessions and mental health support.   The team work hard to foster meaningful and empathetic relationships with the people they care for and are committed to building trust over short spaces of time.

health, safety and security team

Commenting on behalf of the team on how it felt to have won, Nikki Harvey, Mental Health Practitioner said: “We are delighted to have won – it is great recognition for the work that we do.”

The winner of the Non-Clinical Stars Award Category went to 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.  The team have also won national awards for their work in this area and have been recognised for the eleventh year running for their dedication to occupational health and safety by the Royal Society of the Prevention of Accident (RoSPA).

Speaking on behalf of the team, Roberto Giedrojt, Heath, Safety and Security Advisor said: “To have been nominated and to have won this award is fantastic.  It reflects the team’s dedication to their work, they’re an amazing team of diverse people that add such a lot and go above and beyond on a daily basis.”

Lisa MilneThe winner of the Improving Patient Experience Award Category went to 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. Lisa has been instrumental in a number of initiatives to support parent infant relationships and mental health including the ‘Compassion for Mums Well-being’ scheme, which new mums welcomed.  The scheme encourages businesses and community settings to provide a welcoming and friendly environment for women to go to, who have recently given birth.  Many new mums can feel lonely, anxious or experience low mood and can feel nervous about going out in public with their babies and may choose not to, leading to social isolation and impacting negatively on their emotional wellbeing.

Commenting on how it felt to have won, Lisa Milne, said: “To have been nominated has been really touching.  Almost all the work that I have done is in collaborations with other colleagues and teams across the Trust and I work with some really fantastic people, so it very much feels like a joint award win.  It is ever so nice to hear that people have noticed you and value what you have done.”

Sophie-WoodeThe winner of the Innovation and Quality Award Category went to 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. Sophie has been described by her colleagues as ‘incredibly caring and compassionate’ and has developed a number of innovative ideas to help patients, including the creation of a self-esteem workbook that has been successfully used with patients to help boost their self-esteem.  One patient who was chronically unwell used the workbook and has grown in confidence, and was able to be discharged home with his independent living skills improved as a result of the work and care provided by Sophie.

Commenting on winning the award, Sophie said: “To have been nominated and to have won feels very special – I feel very proud. I am very touched that people feel I was worthy of being nominated – I am incredibly happy.”