About the categories

Nominations can be received in a total of eight categories:

Healthcare professional of the year

By delivering our service with courtesy, communication and compassion we create satisfied patients/service users. This award is awarded to an individual who has demonstrated consistently high quality clinical care achieving the highest standards of patient safety and outcomes:

• care with compassion and empathy
• dignity and respect
• respecting their time, choice and independence
• involving patients in their treatment, decisions and choices
• sensitive to an individual’s needs.

Healthcare team of the year

By delivering our service with courtesy, communication and compassion we create satisfied patients/service users. This award is awarded to a team who has demonstrated consistently high quality clinical care, achieving the highest standards of patient safety and outcomes:

• care with compassion and empathy
• dignity and respect
• respecting their time, choice and independence
• involving patients in their treatment, decisions and choices
• sensitive to an individual’s needs.

Exceptional contribution to quality award

This award is for creative, inspired or original thinking that has led to improvements in services resulting in considerable change in service quality. Nominations should demonstrate any of the following criteria:

• significant innovation in achieving high quality outcomes through the introduction of changes in working arrangements and practices
• new developments arising from local research, or local application of innovative practice from elsewhere
• pushing the boundaries of research, technology and clinical practice
• maximising potential through learning, nurturing and development.

Outstanding contribution award

This will be awarded to an individual member of staff who provides a consistently high quality service to patients/service users and/or colleagues demonstrating:

• the Trust’s core values
• displaying effort and dedication over and above the normal call of duty
• goes the extra mile helping patients, visitors or colleagues to meet their needs
• has a positive can do attitude and is friendly, thoughtful and considerate, communicating effectively, is caring and compassionate and courteous and professional at all times
• continuously strives to improve performance.

Team of the year award

This will be awarded to the team that has done the most to improve the quality of experience for patients/service users and/or colleagues in the Trust, embracing teamwork. Nominations should demonstrate the following:

• patient/service user experience – how the work of the team has either directly or indirectly made a positive difference to the experience of our patients/service users
• colleagues – how the work of the team has either directly or indirectly made a positive difference to the experience of colleagues
• working together – how the team has sought to develop its skill, knowledge and experience to benefit patients and/or staff
• continuously improved performance.

Lifetime achievement

For a member of staff who has consistently, throughout their career with the NHS, demonstrated a high quality of performance and significant contribution to the organisation. It is expected that successful nominees in this category will have service of fifteen years or more to the NHS.

Volunteer of the year

This will be awarded to a volunteer or group of volunteers who have made a significant contribution to Trust services.

Support services ambassador award

The Support Services Ambassador Award will be awarded to an individual or a team working within a non clinical support service. Contractors are invited to participate in this award. Support services staff can be porters, cleaners, kitchen staff, receptionists, administrators, lab technicians and all other functions within the Trust. To qualify, the individual or team will have worked hard to deliver above the expectations of patients and colleagues and demonstrate the Trust’s Service Standards - treating others as valued customers irrespective of their support role.

For a team to qualify for this award, they must perform above expectations as a whole where each team member supports one another.

Chief Executive’s 2012 Olympian Award

This is awarded by the Chief Executive – formal nominations will not be sought, however, it will be at the discretion of the executive team and will be awarded to an individual or team for something different every year.