The tireless commitment and compassion of some of Devon’s health teams have been recognised by the NHS in the South West today (13 June) in the 2022 NHS Parliamentary Awards, having been nominated by their MPs.
The Devon 2022 regional winners, selected by NHS leaders in the South West, are:
• The Excellence in Healthcare Award: Dr Mary Stocker, consultant anaesthetist at Torbay and South Devon NHS Foundation Trust, nominated by Anthony Mangnall MP
• The Health Equalities Award: Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Team (Andrew Millward, Nicola Bonas, Nellie Guttmann and Aggie Szpinda) NHS Devon Clinical Commissioning Group, nominated by Luke Pollard MP and Anthony Mangnall MP
• The Covid-19 Response Award: Darryn Allcorn, Chief Nurse at NHS Devon Clinical Commissioning Group, nominated by Geoffrey Cox.
NHS Devon Clinical Commissioning Group’s Chief Nurse, Darryn Allcorn won the Covid-19 Response award. The award recognises his personal contribution setting up NHS Nightingale Hospital Exeter; which treated around 250 Covid-19 patients at the height of the pandemic. The hospital has now been repurposed and provides eye and orthopaedic procedures, diagnostic scans and rheumatology appointments. Judges also recognised his leadership of the Covid-19 vaccination programme.
Darryn said: “I am both humbled and overjoyed to receive this award, which I believe also recognises the incredible work of all our staff and volunteers across NHS Nightingale and the Covid-19 vaccination programme.”
“I am incredibly proud of our achievements over the last two years. Over 2.8 million Covid-19 vaccinations have been given at dozens of locations across Devon in the last 18 months. Meanwhile NHS Nightingale Exeter continues to support the local health system, as it addresses the waiting list backlog caused by the pandemic.”
Dr Mary Stocker, a consultant at Torbay and South Devon NHS Foundation Trust, has been awarded the Excellence in Healthcare award for her contributions to advancing best practice and excellence in day surgery. Mary is a Consultant Anaesthetist and was Clinical Lead for the Day Surgery Unit at Torbay Hospital for over 15 years. Mary is now Joint Clinical Lead for the Southwest Ambulatory Orthopaedic Centre (SWAOC) at NHS Nightingale Exeter (Nightingale).
Mary said: “I am delighted and honoured to accept this award. The work which I have championed both locally and nationally has only been possible due to the support and dedication of the multidisciplinary team within the Torbay Hospital Day Surgery Unit, the Southwest Ambulatory Orthopaedic Centre and the British Association of Day Surgery.
“I thank all these teams whose unfailing support and enthusiasm has allowed me to help pioneer excellence in day surgery within Torbay and South Devon and beyond.”
NHS Devon Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) Equality, Diversity and Inclusion team won the Health Equalities Award; which recognised their trailblazing work to tackle health inequalities experienced by ethnically diverse communities in Devon and the vaccination outreach programme during which saw over 50,000 from vulnerable communities (including LGBTQ+, Migrant workers, Gypsy Roma and Traveller communities and ethnically diverse groups), receive their covid-19 vaccination. The outreach programme included a Vaccine Ambassador programme, using trusted community representatives to provide reliable information, to understand barriers to people having the vaccine and to help overcome them. Judges said their work had significantly improved vaccine confidence and uptake in communities and set an example for other health systems regionally and nationally.
Andrew Millward, Director of Communications, Involvement and Inclusion at NHS Devon CCG said, “I am very happy that the judges have recognised our commitment to giving everyone equal access to healthcare. Before the Covid-19 vaccination programme even began, we engaged with communities to understand how we could best support them. This work has not only helped people to have the potentially life saving Covid-19 vaccination, but has created community relationships, which we can continue to develop to support people to live longer, healthier, happier lives, for many years to come.”
Jane Milligan, Chief Executive of NHS Devon CCG said, “I am delighted that the judges have recognised the tireless dedication shown by our staff and volunteers throughout the pandemic. The NHS has faced unprecedented challenges throughout the last couple of years, but these awards demonstrate how people have risen to those challenges and innovated in ways which will support the health and wellbeing of local people into the future. I am incredibly proud of all that our teams have done throughout the pandemic and that their achievements have been publicly acknowledged through the NHS Parliamentary awards.”
Winners have been chosen in 10 categories, ranging from NHS Rising Star to Excellence in Urgent and Emergency Care. This year also saw a new category introduced, reflecting the response to Covid-19.
The successful individuals and teams were selected from among 87 nominees – the highest number since the awards were introduced in 2018 to mark the NHS’ 70th birthday.
Elizabeth O’Mahony, Regional Director of NHS England and NHS Improvement in the South West region, said: “I’m delighted to see our dedicated staff across the South West recognised in this way.
“Their tireless commitment and care, not only through the course of the pandemic but for many their whole careers, is truly inspiring and heart-warming,
“I’d like to congratulate every single one of the winners, and to thank all the MPs for putting forward such strong candidates.”
The Devon winners and their nominating MPs now go forward to the national awards ceremony in London on 6 July.
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