Celebrating Rotherham’s “extraordinary” healthcare heroes
The Rotherham NHS Foundation Trust’s annual Proud Awards were held last month, celebrating the achievements of its staff and the impact they have on the people of Rotherham.
On Friday 14 June, almost 500 colleagues came together to celebrate each other’s achievements and honour those who go above and beyond to help deliver outstanding patient care.
The evening also provided the opportunity to formally recognise colleagues’ long service, with a special presentation for those who have worked for the NHS for 40 years.
759 nominations were received for the 2024 awards, with 274 for the Public Recognition Award alone. This category provides patients, family, friends, carers and members of the public to put forward a person or team that has had a real impact on them.
The recipients of the 2024 Public Recognition Award were the Dermatology team, with a special mention for Nurse Consultant Tara Lees. While presenting the award, Hannah Watson, Non-Executive Director, read out some of the nominations received for the team. One read: “Thanks to them, and the treatment and care they have given me, they have helped to change my life for the better.”
Attendees also heard the real experience of a patient who has received care from a number of teams, including orthopaedic and cancer care. He shared his experiences and praise of the staff he had encountered, calling them “extraordinary people”.
Dr Richard Jenkins, Chief Executive of The Rotherham NHS Foundation Trust, said: “The Proud Awards are the highlight in our calendar. It is a great privilege to be able to recognise our colleagues for their hard work and excellent care they provide to our patients throughout the year. It’s also important that we recognise our non-clinical colleagues too, without whom we wouldn’t be able to provide our services.”
Keepmoat were the headline sponsors for the second year, alongside fellow sponsors Hits Radio, Knowles Fleet and Assutt. Their kind generosity helped staff to celebrate in style.
2024 Proud Award winners
Chairman’s Award
Clinical Haematology
Chief Executive’s Award
Laura Mumby, Health Informatics
Public Recognition – Sponsored by Hits Radio
Dermatology team and Tara Lees
Non-Clinical Team of the Year
Orthopaedic Operational Team and Schedulers
Inspiring Leader – Sponsored by Knowles Fleet
Chris Hammond-Race, Audiology
Diversity and Inclusion
Sri Kakarlapudi, Dietetics
Learner of the Year
Billy Ferguson, Procurement
Quality Improvement
Andy Woods, Children's and Young People's Services
Unsung Hero
Billy Bell, Security
Clinical Team of the Year – Sponsored by Assutt
Virtual Ward / Urgent Community Response
Governors’ Award for Living the Values
Danijela Preradovic, Ward A1
Volunteer of the Year
B5 volunteers
Excellence Award – Sponsored by Keepmoat
Team of the Year
Education and Development Team
Excellence Award – Sponsored by Keepmoat
Individual of the Year
Lucy Richardson
Excellence Award – Sponsored by Keepmoat
Public Excellence
Maternity