Surrey Heath MP, Michael Gove, is calling for nominees to enter the official NHS Parliamentary Awards in recognition of staff who have gone above and beyond the call of duty. The NHS Parliamentary Awards offer a chance to celebrate NHS staff, carers and volunteers for all the hard work they do to look after our loved ones when they are at their most vulnerable.
Coronavirus has been a global health emergency on a scale not seen for a century. The NHS responded swiftly and flexibly to deal with the pandemic while maintaining other urgent care, but staff – present, past and future – have had to come together as never before, supported by volunteers and the public. Staff are continuing to go above and beyond for patients as they work to reduce the COVID backlog by providing 17 million extra diagnostic tests over the next three years. NHS England will also be adding to the 122 surgical hubs already in operation across the country over the next three years.
So many staff have worked tirelessly to put patients first, and this is something that the awards aim to recognise and reward. As part of the NHS’s 74th birthday this year, the NHS will once again be looking to celebrate those who have gone the extra mile to support patients.
Michael is now searching for outstanding nominees for the 2022 Awards who have innovated, impressed and made a real difference to how the health and care system provides care for patients.
Michael said:
“The NHS is one of the nation’s most loved institutions and hardworking NHS staff make it what it is today.
“The stories I hear from local health services make me incredibly proud of the fact that our constituency contains people willing to provide such fantastic care to our most vulnerable residents. NHS staff, volunteers and carers make a true difference to the lives of their patients, and I want to recognise those individuals and teams at this year’s NHS Parliamentary Awards.
“I want to hear from you about any outstanding care you have received in the last year so that I can nominate our local heroes for these awards.”
Professor Stephen Powis, chair of the judging panel and NHS National Medical Director, said:
“Throughout the NHS’s history there are examples of how staff and volunteers have contributed to making the health service the greatest care team in the world.
“The NHS Parliamentary Awards are a unique opportunity for MPs to highlight the amazing work done by NHS staff in their local areas, and I look forward to working with all of the judges to review the nominations we receive.”
This year there are 10 award categories, including the Lifetime Achievement Award, the Rising Star Award and, as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic, the Covid Response Award. The Parliamentary Awards 2022 launched on 2 March 2022, and all those who make the national shortlist will be invited to an award ceremony in Westminster to celebrate their fantastic achievements.
Since the awards began in 2018 over 450 Members of Parliament nominated an individual or organisation for an award. Last year, the NHS received over 500 nominations from MPs.
Michael is calling for potential nominations in the following categories:
- The Excellence in Healthcare: This award recognises individuals or teams who go above and beyond to improve outcomes and experiences for patients living with and beyond major health conditions or work to prevent them.
- The Excellence in Mental Health Care Award: To the individual or team that has worked across organisational boundaries to develop new and effective services to help people living with mental health problems in their community.
- The COVID Response Award: The brand new COVID Response Award is for any individual or team who have met the challenges of the pandemic with creativity and innovation to provide the best care possible for their patients.
- The Excellence in Urgent and Emergency Care Award: To the individual or team that has made improvements to how the NHS treats people in life or death situations.
- The Excellence in Primary Care and Community Care Award: As the needs of patients and the wider NHS evolves, so does the role of these professionals, and this award seeks to recognise practitioners and teams in primary or community care that are working with patients to help them stay healthy and avoid long stays in hospital or being admitted in the first place.
- The Future NHS Award: This award seeks to highlight individuals, teams and organisations that are successfully embracing the opportunities that come from advances in medical technology, data, and connectivity.
- The Health Equalities Award: This award is for an individual or organisation that has helped the NHS to do its bit by bringing together different groups and organisations to reduce health inequalities and prevent ill health in different communities.
- The Nursing and Midwifery Award: This award is for any nurse or midwife, that has used their skills to ensure that patients experience care and compassion. This award is also open to any one of the thousands of student midwives, nurses, AHPs and medical students who started their careers early to support the NHS’ response to coronavirus.
- The NHS Rising Star Award: This award looks to celebrate younger members of staff, volunteers or members of the public who give up their time, lend their experiences and deliver better services for themselves and others in their area.
- The Lifetime Achievement Award: This award is for an individual who has worked within a health or care setting for 40 years or more who has left a legacy.
Background Information:
- The nomination process is open from Wednesday 2nd March 2022 until midnight, Wednesday 6th April 2022. Patients, the public and local health and care organisations are encouraged to submit their nomination suggestions to their local MP's at least two weeks before the nomination window closes to give MPs time to review and choose which applications to submit.
- After the nomination window closes on Wednesday 6th April, nominations will be sent to the relevant NHS England and NHS Improvement teams for initial sifting. Successful nominations at this stage will then go forward to a regional panel comprised of senior regional NHS England and NHS Improvement representatives. The regional panels will each choose one nomination in each category to go forward to the national judging panel. A national judging panel will then score each of the shortlisted nominations and select an overall winner for each category.
- For more information on how to nominate and the criteria for each category, visit www.nhsparliamentaryawards.co.uk
