Awards 2021

The Celebration of Achievement Awards 2021 took place virtually on 11 November after RJAH teamed up with Shrewsbury-based events company Yarrington.

See below details of all the winners - including of our two Patient Choice Awards: 

• Outstanding Team Achievement of the Year Award - Medical Secretaries
  
  The nomination for the Medical Secretaries singles out the work they have done to support each other throughout unprecedented times, by leaving their comfort zones to work in different areas of the Trust and changing working areas to ensure there was enough capacity to deal with the high workloads. The nomination describes the Medical Secretaries as the ‘engine room’ of RJAH and without this function, the organisation wouldn’t be able to function effectively.  

• Outstanding Individual Achievement of the Year Award - Tracey Edwards, Cleanliness Technician
  
  Tracey’s nomination celebrates her dedication and commitment to support the Trust with the Covid Vaccination Service. Tracey was asked if she could help with the distribution of name badges and uniforms to new members of staff employed to work in the service, while still working in her substantive role. She was praised for being an “instrumental part” of the Vaccination Service by playing a key role to ensure Vaccination Centres across Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin could operate.    

• Sir Robert Jones Doctor of the Year Award - Mr Cormac Kelly
  
  He was awarded this award in recognition of his lifelong contribution to the hospital, and the leadership he has demonstrated, including to teaching, training, research and audit. 

• Cornerstone Award - Jennifer Fox, Information Officer
  
  Jen has gone from an apprentice herself to then fully training up our current apprentice. Jen oversees the co-ordinating and allocation of routine reports, ensuring that key reports get to the right people at the right time. Jen sees the times when colleagues are under pressure and always offers support, even when busy herself. In order to manage such a number of tasks, all with competing deadlines requires not just very good organisational skills but a great work ethic and Jen has both in abundance.

• League of Friends Volunteer of the Year Award - Janice Roberts
  
  Janice has been a highly regarded member of the League of Friends volunteer family for 6 years, predominantly working within the Coffee Shop but since the pandemic she has also joined the team of volunteers on the Covid-19 Screening Desk. Janice is incredibly helpful and picks up numerous extra shifts on a weekly basis, she happens to live across the road from the Trust and often comes to our rescue when we need shifts covering at short notice. 

• Special Recognition Award for AHPs, Pharmacists and Clinical Scientists - Stephanie Conover, Orthotist
  
  Stephanie has undertaken a secondment to work in partnership with Keele University to develop a new national Prosthetic and Orthotic training school. She has worked tirelessly for the last 12 months and will continue to do so for the next 18 months. Stephanie recognised the importance of supporting such an essential programme but at the same time also recognised the department staffing pressures and offered to undertake part of the secondment as additional hours to be able to support both areas.

• Richard Clarke Unsung Hero Award - Rachel Anslow, ICNARC and High Dependency Unit Ward Clerk
  
  Rachel did some fundraising in the first wave of the pandemic, as she was so concerned that nurse’s hands would be getting painful and dry due to the constant hand washing. She raised over £100 from family and friends and bought individual hand cream tubes for the nurses - such a kind and compassionate gift. Colleagues often describe Rachel as “the heart of the team”. Her nomination adds: “ Rachel has this amazing infectious aura about her; she has this beaming happy smile, cheerful and jolly self and has been very welcoming”.  

• Partnership Award - Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin Integrated Care System Partners
  
  We have worked closely with all our partners in the Shropshire, Telford & Wrekin Integrated Care System, sweeping aside organisational boundaries to support each other in responding to the pandemic and to restoring services again. That partnership approach has seen us working together to put the needs of the patients first. 

• Governor of the Year Award - Kate Betts, Staff Governor
  
  Kate was nominated because she goes above and beyond as a staff Governor. She is caring and compassionate with boundless pride and enthusiasm for the organisation. She is not afraid to raise issues at Trust board level regarding concerns identified in her daily professional life and is a diligent representative for our staff members. 

• Service Improvement of the Year Award - Outpatient Development Transformation Team
  
  The Outpatient Development Transformation Team have implemented a number of service improvements for patients and staff. This includes the implementation of PIFU (Patient Initiated Follow Up) in 2 months, the development of a virtual patient pathway (including restarting Attend Anywhere (the software used for virtual appointments)), and the streamlining of the Radiology process to increase patients being seen in the hospital.  The team has embraced improvement methodologies and worked tirelessly to redesign processes and pathways to better patients and staff, with a smile too! 

• Covid Recognition Award - Vaccination Centre
  
  The RJAH Vaccination Centre Team, were brought together in exceptionally difficult times. They have developed a Vaccination Centre out of an environment which was built for another purpose. They have designed it to provide a safe environment for staff and clients. They have formed a strong and effective and efficient team out of staff members and volunteers who have never worked together. They have worked long hours, sometimes when needed into the early hours of the morning.  

• Education and Learning Award - Andrea Heath, Staff Nurse, MCSI
  
  Andrea had devised a new preceptorship programme for our new staff on MCSI (The Midlands Centre for Spinal Injuries) - This includes protected clinical supervision, the allocation of a dedicated and experienced mentor, evidence-based competences and interdisciplinary working. Andrea created this programme using her own initiative in order to improve staff retention, staff specialist knowledge and skills, and improve the quality of our patients care. The programme will ensure new staff are supported to learn specialist spinal cord injury nursing skills in order to ensure patients have the best outcomes following spinal cord injury. 

• Living the Values Award - Kate Evans, Therapy Support Worker
  
  Kate is professional and safe in all her work activities, she demonstrates kindness and is always there to listen, she is supportive and non-judgemental. Kate is eager to learn and also to share her knowledge. Kate is always approachable and helpful; she has a wonderful sense of humour which has carried the Therapy team through the challenges of the pandemic. Kate is a role model for the values of the Trust. 

• Chief Executive's Award for Inspirational Leadership - Amanda Peet, Theatre Manager
  
  Amanda has returned from an enforced long period of absence to manage the restoration of theatres with a new theatre schedule following initial wave of the covid pandemic. She then had to pause some theatre activity again following the second wave of covid and assist in redeploying staff to The Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital (SaTH). Alongside these remarkable challenges, she has been conducting international recruitment, managing the Private patient pathway, managing the forecasting and scheduling team, and managing one of our key improvement programmes called 6:4:2. 

• Mary Powell Nurse of the Year Award - Ann Bishop, Spinal Specialist Nurse
  
  Ann has been integral to the pathway for paediatric spinal patients and has recently demonstrated the Trust’s values in the way she dealt with a serious incident. 

• Patient Choice Award (Individual) - Ellie Roberts, Medical Secretary
  
  Nominated by Gordon Allen, whose daughter damaged her spine badly in a car accident some years ago. Her situation had progressively worsened, and as he had been a patient at RJAH many years ago, he tried to help Charlotte by calling the Spinal Disorders Unit. The call was taken by Ellie, who realised very quickly how very upset Gordon was on behalf of Charlotte and, on the spot, took it on herself to obtain records, contact Charlotte, prepare the ground with Mr Chitgopkar - either via NHS or privately - and arrange an appointment. The impact of Ellie’s reaction and behaviour - that she, modestly, will claim as ‘just doing her job' - has made a simply immeasurable difference to Charlotte - and of course to her husband and her parents.

• Patient Choice Award (Team) - Carwyn Davies, Physiotherapist; and Mr Pete Gallacher, Consultant Orthopaedic Surgeon 
  
  Physiotherapist Carwyn and Consultant Orthopaedic Surgeon Mr Gallacher worked together to take quick action for patient Laura Davies, who had suffered a knee lock injury.  Carwyn arranged for Laura to have an MRI scan to be done the same day and arranged for Mr Gallacher to see her urgently, as Laura had been left unable to walk, stand, or drive. Mr Gallacher stayed late to squeeze her in at the end of his clinic and added her to his operating list the following day. Thanks to the pairs quick action, Laura was on the road to recovery within 24 hours.