Inspirational ‘unsung heroes’ across the Tees Valley have been honoured for their commitment to improving patient care.
During a special awards ceremony, administration staff across University Hospitals Tees were recognised for their invaluable contribution and commitment to supporting the delivery of safe and effective patient care both in back and front office services.
The University Hospitals Tees Love Admin awards were held at The James Cook University Hospital and University Hospital of North Tees on Wednesday 22 October.
Kellie was recognised for consistently exceeding expectations and continuously supporting the care of the patients within the general surgery department at James Cook.
Her nomination said: “Kellie has the knowledge and history of the department like no one else, she is a calm and steady pair of hands with whatever she is asked. It is inspiring to watch the positive outlook which Kellie has and is the small voice in the corner championing her colleagues from the side lines.
“Kellie is the most reliable and trustworthy colleague you would find. Her legacy is one of innovation, compassion, and excellence, and she has made a lasting, positive impact on both patient care and staff wellbeing.”
The first-ever University Hospitals Tees Love Admin event was held to recognise the outstanding achievements of colleagues working across James Cook Hospital, Friarage Hospital, University Hospital of North Tees, University Hospital of Hartlepool and out and about within the community.
Group chief strategy officer and deputy chief executive officer for University Hospitals Tees, Matt Neligan said: “Across University Hospitals Tees, our administrative colleagues work tirelessly to ensure our teams and services run as smoothly as possible.
“They are our unsung heroes, and it was an honour to celebrate their achievements at our first-ever University Hospitals Tees Love Admin awards. Their nominations were filled with stories of innovation, compassion and dedication.
“On behalf of our hospital group, I would like to express my sincere gratitude to all those who were nominated and to all those within our organisation for their unwavering commitment and for being the backbone of our University Hospitals Tees.”
Award winners
Glenda Taylor scooped the ward clerk of the year award. Glenda was credited for being the ‘backbone of ward 4 at James Cook’, taking on additional duties outside of her job to benefit her patients and colleagues including supporting the development of the Dragonfly Suite; a dedicated bed space for patients receiving care in the last days of their life.
Nicola Anderson who works within the children and young people’s department won the contribution to patient care award for ‘going above and beyond’ for her patients and their loved ones.
Her nomination said: “Nicola will get to know families well through regular communication, is understanding of their challenges and tries to accommodate all their needs to ensure they can be seen timely. She is an asset to the team and makes such a positive impact for children and young people accessing our outpatient teams.”
Following her work in transforming the cancer surveillance service with new streamlined processes, Laura Lamb was crowned winner of the innovation and development award.
Julie Poole who has worked at North Tees and Hartlepool for over 39 years took home the receptionist of the year award. Julie was described as an ‘NHS national treasure’ with a ‘big smile, big welcome and very calm nature’ who ensures everything on the colorectal ward ‘runs like clockwork.’
‘Eager and professional’ admin assistant Georgina Hicks was thanked for her hard work in ‘setting up ‘multiple systems to create a seamless patient journey’ as she took home the admin assistant of the year award.
Health and wellbeing senior advisor and menopause network lead, Julia Frost was named inspirational leader of the year. Julia was recognised for ‘supporting, inspiring and influencing others’ with menopause and wellbeing advice and for being the driving force behind South Tees Hospitals being re-accredited as a menopause friendly employer.
‘Font of all knowledge’ Clare Dobson who works in the pathology department won the secretary of the year. She was recognised for being ‘pleasant, polite, proactive and supportive’ towards her team.
Hannah Readman who was described as a ‘natural mentor and inspirational figure’ scooped the staff development award.
Her nomination said: “Hannah has supported the growth and development of countless colleagues, often without recognition. She is not only a key driver of service improvement but also a role model for values-led behaviour and collaborative leadership.”
The apprentice of the year award went to Bradley Harrington who was credited for being ‘an asset’ to the organisational development team, using learning from his apprenticeship to implement new internal processes and always willing to take on further development including the NTH100 leaders’ programme.
Quality assurance and continuous improvement training partner, Georgina Ramsden was praised for guiding her team with ‘support, empathy and passion to maintain services to the highest standard’ as she collected the best newcomer award.
The patient experience team at North Tees and Hartlepool scooped the team of the year award for ‘exemplifying the true essence of an admin team.’ The were applauded for their ‘unwavering dedication to delivering an exceptional service, fostering teamwork and making a positive difference to patients, families and colleagues.’
