The Dudley Group recently gathered its staff together for its glittering awards night, Committed to Excellence, which celebrates the hard work and dedication shown each year within the Trust.
The Dudley Group NHS Foundation Trust’s annual awards ceremony took place at the Grand Station in Wolverhampton on 27th June and was hosted by ITV News Central presenter Sameena Ali-Khan who said: “Phenomenal work is happening within The Dudley Group NHS Foundation Trust and the Committed to Excellence Awards showcased the talent of the staff and their genuine care and compassion for the patients they work with. It was a pleasure to acknowledge their achievements and meet the wonderful people who really do make a difference.”
More than 800 nominations were submitted for this year’s awards, with individuals and teams shortlisted in 17 categories, including Excellence in Patient Care and Unsung Hero.
Winners included the community-based pulmonary rehabilitation team, who won the Patient Choice Award, which is a special award where nominations come directly from patients.
Laura Van den Huele, pulmonary rehabilitation team lead said: “It means so much to be nominated by a patient more than anything else because I think our team always go above and beyond for our patients; so, it’s really nice to get that recognition.”
Winning the Chair’s Lifetime Achievement Award was Professor Sauid Ishaq, a consultant gastroenterologist who has been with the Trust for nearly twenty years and is renowned for his innovative endoscopic work.
Professor Sauid Ishaq was “lost for words” after being surprised on the stage by two of his three daughters and added: “I was delighted to receive the Lifetime Achievement Award and would like to thank everyone who has played a part in that journey.”
The event also saw the introduction of two new awards for 2024 – the Sustainability Award and Best Use of Charitable Funds Award; the latter of which was won by the Forget Me Not Unit, who used their charitable funds to purchase equipment that can document a patient’s photographs, their favourite music and even record a family member speaking, providing comfort to both patients with dementia and their relatives.
Winning the Outstanding Achievement Team Award was the breast care nursing team. Sadly, they lost one of their own beloved colleagues from breast cancer in 2019 and have used what they learnt from the experience to improve the service for their patients.
Rachael Willets, consultant breast nurse said: “The breast nursing team were deeply honoured to receive this award, especially as we know how hard-working and dedicated many of our colleagues are too. We are grateful to the Trust for recognising our commitment and accomplishments and we will endeavour to continue to work hard for our patients.”
Following the awards, chief executive Diane Wake said, “We heard some incredible stories from numerous departments and individual staff members this evening and it has been truly inspiring.
“This event is a huge reflection of the hard work and dedication of our all staff and volunteers, and we couldn’t be prouder! Every finalist should be congratulated!”
A raffle and auction also took place on the night and, thanks to the generosity of those who attended, an amazing total of £2900 was raised for the Dudley Group NHS Charity.
Thanks go to the Gold event sponsor, Summit Healthcare, Silver sponsors Mitie and Bronze sponsors Dudley College of Technology, University of Worcester, How to Find a Care Home and Hill Dickinson, who helped make the event possible, as well as local businesses who contributed raffle and auction prizes to the evening.
List of awards and winners in full:
- Excellence in Patient Care – Joanne Bowen
- Team Excellence – Nutrition Team
- Improvement Practice Award – Joanne Hulse and Carrie Westwood
- Unsung Hero, Clinical – Min Yen Wong
- Unsung Hero, Non- clinical – Gina Vowles
- The Steve Ford Volunteer Award – Carol Harris and George Hodson
- Healthcare Hero Team Award – Alcohol Care Team
- Healthcare Hero Individual Award – George Adetunji
- Outstanding Achievement Team Award – Breast Care Nursing Team
- Outstanding Achievement Individual Award – Raj Uppal
- Patient Choice Award – Pulmonary Rehabilitation Team
- Chief Executive Award – Surgical Operational Management Team
- Chief Nurse Award – Amy Sargeant
- Best Use of Charitable Funds Award – Forget Me Not Unit
- Sustainability Award – Sustainable Medicines Project – Pharmacy
- Medical Director Award – Indre Verpetinske
- Chair’s Lifetime Achievement Award – Professor Sauid Ishaaq
