The Dudley Group NHS Foundation Trust hosted its Committed to Excellence Awards last week, bringing together hundreds of dedicated staff members and volunteers acknowledging their hard work, commitment and excellent care over the last 12 months.
Taking place at the Copthorne Hotel on Friday 11th July, the ceremony was hosted by ITV News Central presenter Sameena Ali-Khan who said: “It was an absolute honour to present the Committed to Excellence awards and celebrate the incredible dedication, compassion, and resilience of our healthcare heroes. These individuals go above and beyond every day, and it was truly inspiring to be part of a night that recognised their extraordinary efforts.”
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 palliative care consultant, Dr Lauren Ward-Davies, who won the Patient Choice Award – a special award featuring nominations directly from patients and loved ones.
Dr Ward-Davies’s nomination came from a patient’s family, who surprised her on stage after her win. The nomination said: “We have never seen anyone treat someone the way Dr Lauren treated our nan in her final days. When entering the room, she held our nan’s hand and spoke to us about what happens next. It really felt like we all mattered. Our nan was scared of dying but Dr Lauren helped alleviate these worries – she gave her a cup of tea and helped her personal care. We know that she made her feel at ease with dying as just four minutes after she left, our beautiful nan passed away peacefully.”
Dr Ward-Davies said: “I’m really grateful to the Trust for acknowledging one amazing patient story, shared by a relative, and for acknowledging this as a key part of the work my amazing team does.
“It is lovely to be acknowledged as part of what can be one of the most challenging periods a family has to go through, and I feel privileged to be involved in someone’s life at this stage – it is one of the main reasons why I love my job.”
Winning the Chair’s Lifetime Achievement Award was Dr Peter Oliver, consultant radiologist and former medical head of service who has been in the NHS for 40 years. He has been invited to events globally to talk about his achievements in radiology.
Dr Oliver was also joined on stage by his wife, Ruth, who has just retired from the Trust after over 40 years in the NHS, and surprised by his two daughters, Sarah and Rachel, and long-standing friend and colleague Dr Alec Wolinski.
Dr Oliver said: “I would like to say thank you very much to the Trust for the acknowledgement. I couldn’t have done any of it without the supreme team around me.
“Radiology has been my working life, but enjoying work is down to the people you work with, and the teams that I’ve worked with throughout my career have been incredible. Thank you again for this completely unexpected surprise!”
The event also saw volunteer, Myles Scaife, be recognised for his dedication to the Trust with the Steve Ford Volunteer Award. After falling from a 40ft high roof in 2008, Myles’ life was changed following a severe head injury.
He wasn’t expected to survive the accident, but after 12 weeks in Russells Hall Hospital, Myles recovered and learn to walk and talk again. Despite personal challenges, Myles has volunteered for the Trust for the last 12 years and is a fountain of knowledge about the hospital and more.
As the crowd was left stunned by his story, Myles said he felt very honoured and privileged to have won the award.
Following the awards, chief executive Diane Wake said: “Friday night was a hive of inspiring people and incredible stories, from across the Trust and beyond.
“This event is a huge reflection of the commitment from our staff members and volunteers, and we couldn’t be prouder of each nominee, finalist and winner!”
A raffle also took place on the night and, thanks to the generosity of the attendees, an incredible total of £2,385 was raised for the Dudley Group NHS Charity.
Thanks go to the Gold event sponsor, Summit, Silver sponsors Mitie and Altera Digital Health, and Bronze sponsors University of Worcester, How to Find a Care Home and Hill Dickinsons who helped make the event possible, as well as local businesses who contributed raffle prizes to the evening.
