A former international sprinter who retired as an NHS nurse after nearly fifty years of service and teams helping deploy AI to improve patient care are among the winners of this year’s NHS Parliamentary Awards.
The 2024 NHS Parliamentary Awards were held today in Westminster to recognise the outstanding contribution of staff, volunteers and others working in the health and care sector.
This year’s awards have seen some of the most impressive winners yet, which included staff who’ve helped reduce ambulance handover times by 54% at pressured trusts, teams who’ve reduced unnecessary A&E visits by up to 41%, and training that’s changing the way millions of neurodiverse patients interact with NHS services.
This year’s joint winners of the Lifetime Achievement Award were former Commonwealth sprinter and nurse Rose Amankwaah, and nurse consultant and clinical director for advanced practice Garry Swann – with an incredible 91 years of combined experience.
NHS Chief Executive, Amanda Pritchard, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, Wes Streeting, NHS leaders and dozens of MPs were all in attendance to recognise the many staff who make the NHS what it is today.
Some of the other winners include the Proactive Care Team at Bradford District Care NHS Foundation Trust, which won the Excellence in Primary and Community Award for their outstanding work reducing health inequalities and unnecessary A&E visits by up to 41% in their local area.
This was a record-breaking year for the NHS Parliamentary Awards, first established in 2018, with 918 nominations submitted by 318 MPs across England. In addition to the Health and Social Care Secretary, both Shadow Health and Social Care Secretary Rt Hon Victoria Atkins MP and Liberal Democrat Health Spokesperson Helen Morgan MP were present to support the awards.
The below awards were given at the ceremony at the Queen Elizabeth II Conference Centre in Westminster:
- The Excellence in Healthcare Award: This award has two winners. The AI Working Group (Frimley Health) has been working to oversee eight AI deployment projects, including national AI award funding for chest radiograph AI and mammogram AI. The Community Gateway collaborative team in Cornwall involves at least seven separate organisations and celebrates the success in identifying the individual support people need within their own communities to get them home from the hospital and to keep them home.
- The Excellence in Mental Health Care Award: North London Forensic Collaborative – Commissioning Hub Team. The team is responsible for finance, strategy, quality and clinical oversight of forensic mental health services for the population of North London. The team has successfully implemented large-scale community transformation with service user participation central to its model.
- The Future NHS Award: The Wessex Kidney Centre innovatively transforms chronic kidney disease management using MyRenalCare. This team has used the digital health solution to empower patients and deliver remote care digitally. 93% of patients recommend MyRenalCare, which has increased outpatient capacity by 33% while reducing costs by 25%.
- The Health Equalities Award: This award has two winners. Thistlemoor Medical Centre. Utilising tailored analytics and working with partners, Thistlemoor Medical Centre undertook a population health management approach, empowering patients to manage their health and well-being better. These patients were previously high users of health and social services, and through this initiative, GP appointments decreased by 75% and ED attendance by 30%. Peer Led Tree of Life in Schools for African and Caribbean Heritage Young People. This programme focuses on inequalities experienced by African and Caribbean Heritage students in accessing timely mental health support. Their partnership between the NHS, schools and VCSEs has adapted the model, pioneering its use in schools as an ACH peer-led approach embedded in the whole-school system.
- The Nursing and Midwifery Award: The Frailty Admission and Discharge Unit Team, Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust. In 2023, a multidisciplinary team in Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust opened the UK’s first Orthopaedic Frailty Admission and Discharge Unit (FADU) to help manage frail patients in a specialist area rather than trolleys in the Emergency Department. 97% of patients are seen within 36 hours by an orthogeriatric consultant, compared to the national average of 85%.
- The Excellence in Primary Care and Community Care Award: Proactive Care Team – Bradford District Care NHS Foundation Trust. The proactive care team are a multidisciplinary team working to reduce health inequalities within the most deprived areas of Bradford. Adopting a coordinated, proactive approach through case finding, self-referral and community engagement, this model has demonstrated a 41% reduction for this cohort of patients visiting A&E.
- The Excellence in Urgent and Emergency Care Award: This award has two winners. London Ambulance Service NHS Trust and Barking, Havering and Redbridge University Hospitals NHS Trust. Crews at the London Ambulance Service and staff at King George Hospital have made significant progress in improving patient handover times at the emergency department, bringing down the average handover time from 50 minutes in early 2023 to 23 minutes by the end of 2023. The Stroke Emergency Assessment Centre, Aintree University Hospital, Liverpool University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust. The Stroke Emergency Assessment Centre at Aintree University Hospital is a pioneering service, which means the region’s stroke patients bypass the busy Emergency Department and are taken straight to a dedicated space to access specialist stroke care as quickly as possible, improving patient outcomes.
- The Excellence in Education and Training Award: This award has two winners. Mr Nick Carleton-Bland. The Walton Centre in Liverpool is delivering world-class neurosurgical training with the NeuroVR simulator – a UK first! Nick spearheaded the acquisition, along with support from the Jan Fairclough charity, and has used it with over 400 medical students and over 50 neurosurgeons to give unprecedented training on critical brain surgeries. The Oliver McGowan Mandatory Training on Learning Disability and Autism. Named after Oliver McGowan, this co-produced and co-delivered training has upskilled millions nationally in the health and social care workforce to provide appropriately adjusted care.
- The Volunteer Award: Ron Ridge. Ron ran the East of England BHF Heart start team for many years, starting in 2006, and since Covid, has been the regional lead for the EEAST Heart scheme, training and deploying the whole region network. He’s also the team leader for 3 Community First Responder (CFR) teams in the Brentwood and Battlesbridge area and trainer for the same, as well as in Billericay. He also teaches and assesses the initial and continuity training for the CRT with The EEAST Education Teams.
- The Lifetime Achievement Award: This award has two winners. Rose Amankwaah retired earlier this year as the longest-serving nurse at Central Middlesex Hospital, clocking up an impressive 49 years. The former international sprinter spent the last three decades as a theatre matron. She was instrumental in developing a multi-skilled theatre workforce with a strong emphasis on self-development and career progression. Garry Swann was a Nurse Consultant & a clinical director for advanced practice. He was the founder of the ACP role, which can now be found across the whole NHS to help resolve medical staffing issues. He has worked in the NHS for 42 years.
NHS Chief Executive, Amanda Pritchard, said: “The NHS today would be nothing without its staff and volunteers, and this year’s NHS Parliamentary Awards are an excellent way to recognise the remarkable achievements of those who’ve gone above and beyond for our patients and in the pursuit of excellence in their professions.
“Services are seeing more people than ever before, and as we continue vital efforts to improve care for millions of patients, the work we’ve heard about today speaks volumes about the dedication and innovation of health and care workers across the country. I’m so proud to be supporting these awards again this year, and I would like to personally thank our fantastic winners and all the shortlisted staff for their brilliant work.”
Chair of the judging panel and NHS National Medical Director, Professor Sir Steve Powis, said: “Today’s prestigious awards serve as a small acknowledgment of the amazing work our staff perform nationwide. We are so grateful for their contributions, and I am once again honoured to be the chair.”
“From Ron, who’s won this year’s Volunteer Award, to the incredible work of the LAS and Barking, Havering and Redbridge trusts, who’ve slashed ambulance handover times by 54%, these awards are a great way to highlight the medical innovation across the service and what they do for every single patient who needs care.”
Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, Wes Streeting, said: “The greatest asset the NHS has is the people who work in it.
“From the heroic first responders in Southport, to the staff who battle a broken system to save patients’ lives, we owe them an enormous debt we can never repay.
“Despite the challenges, every day there are frontline staff showing us that change is possible, that things can get better. They are the trailblazers who will lead the way to a brighter future and it’s a pleasure to be able to honour them properly.”
Dr Matthew Lee, Medical Defence Union (MDU) Chief Executive, said: “The MDU is proud to have sponsored this year’s NHS Parliamentary Awards and offers its warmest congratulations to this year’s winners and nominees.
“The standard of this year’s entries was extremely high which reflects the hard work, dedication and tenacity of NHS colleagues across the country.
“As such, the MDU is honoured to champion and advocate for healthcare workers’ professional interests both in and outside of Westminster.”
Ann Francke OBE, Chief Executive at the Chartered Management Institute, said:“Congratulations to all of the winners and nominees of this year’s awards. Each and every one of you is an inspiration, and worthy of recognition.
“CMI is proud to co-headline sponsor this year’s awards, as well as sponsoring the inaugural Excellence in Education and Training Award. We know that there are wonderful examples of training and development happening right across the NHS, all ultimately leading to better patient outcomes. Today is a wonderful moment to celebrate that.”
Allan Elborn, Managing Director of Fujifilm Healthcare UK, said: “Today has been a fantastic celebration of those working tirelessly in and with our NHS to deliver outstanding care and service to patients across the nation. It has been truly inspirational to hear about the initiatives and positive impacts by individuals, teams, and volunteers across the country. As proud sponsors of the Excellence in Primary Care and Community Care Award, it was a pleasure to meet those recognised in this category, with whom we share a passion for bringing care closer to patients.
“From myself and all of us at Fujifilm Healthcare UK, a huge congratulations to the winners, as well as those shortlisted. You are all such valuable assets to our health service and we’re honoured to work alongside you all.”
Fiona Carragher, Chief Policy and Research Officer at Alzheimer’s Society, said: “A huge congratulations to all the winners. The Excellence in Healthcare award is an important way to celebrate NHS staff who share our determination to make a difference for people living with life-changing illnesses.
“Dementia is the greatest health and social care issue of our time. It’s the UK’s biggest killer, yet a third of people living with dementia in England don’t even have a diagnosis. We must make dementia a priority.”
