Looking for Health Heroes

The search is on for Scotland’s unsung health workers who go the extra mile to deliver quality healthcare and patient treatment, as nominations open for the Scottish Health Awards 2009. The Awards bestow well deserved acclaim on the NHS workers and volunteers who have helped to transform lives, cure illnesses, advance services or improve people’s healthcare experience.

Whether in a hospital, dental, community or other healthcare setting, you may have spotted the hard work and commitment of staff such as therapists, GPs, specialist carers or the cleaners and cooks who help make healthcare more restful. This is your chance to nominate individuals who work tirelessly behind the scenes of NHS Scotland.

Ann Lurie and the team of speech and language therapists from the Royal Hospital for Sick Children received the Therapists Award at the gala awards ceremony in Edinburgh last year. The team’s commitment and expertise in setting up social communications groups for children with asperger’s syndrome in the Lothians was recognised by a prestigious Scottish Health Award.

Dr Zoe Dunhill, a retired clinical director at the Royal Hospital for Sick Children also collected an award at last year’s Scottish Health Awards. Dr Dunhill picked up the Women and Children’s Services Award for her dedication to helping sick children and their families, and for her vision towards creating a platform for parents and carers to engage in the decision making process of the hospital and its services.

Cabinet Secretary for Health and Wellbeing Nicola Sturgeon said, “The valuable contribution made by Scotland’s health care workers has been all too visible during the current influenza A (H1N1) outbreak. People working in the NHS make a difference every day, and they don’t always get the recognition they deserve.

To nominate your healthcare hero visit www.scottishhealthawards.com. All nominations must be received no later than Monday 7 September 2009. Please note that nominees must work for NHS Scotland, with the exception of Health Lifestyle, Volunteers, Community Care and Unsung Hero Awards where nominations are open to everyone.

A specially selected panel of judges will select three finalists in every category. The finalists will be invited to attend an awards ceremony at Edinburgh Corn Exchange on Wednesday 11 November. As well as being in with a chance of picking up an award, finalists will receive a donation to their nominated charity, with over £30,000 being donated.

The categories for nominations are:

Doctors Award – both doctors and nurses in practices or hospitals across Scotland

Nurses Award – nursing teams in general care, community care or specialist care

Therapists Award – range of therapists from physiotherapy to dental hygiene

Unsung Hero Award – getting on with their work but bringing much more to their job

Support Workers Award – ranging from auxiliaries, cleaners, porters – there’s so many

Volunteers Award – unpaid assistance that makes healthcare experience so much better

Top Team Award – Scotland’s top NHS team can come from any service in the country

Older People Care Award – making life easier and more comfortable for older people

Mental Health Care Award – working with vulnerable members of our communities

Cancer Care Award – specialist cancer care teams who are always on hand

Heart Care Award – working to tackle heart disease across Scotland

Women & Children’s Services Award – providing specialist care for a wide-range of services

NHS Healthy Lifestyle Award – working to promote a healthy lifestyle in Scotland

NHS Top Manager Award – rewarding managers who ensure that the quality of care and services offered are the best they can be.

Improvement and Innovation Award – pioneers of new ways of working, new technology, improvements and innovations that make a difference to patient care.

Equality in Healthcare Award – working to meet the needs of excluded or disadvantaged groups and tackling discrimination or prejudice in the delivery of healthcare.

Community Care Award – recognising work within a community setting which improves the lives of individuals through working in partnership with the NHS.