A night of glitz and glam saw staff from Wrightington, Wigan and Leigh Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (WWL) be thanked and recognised for their hard work over the past year, at the second ever STAR (Staff Thanks and Recognition) Awards, held on Friday night (13/10/2023).
The STAR Awards saw trophies and certificates handed out to twelve individuals and teams from across the Trust, with more than 240 WWL staff in attendance at the fully-sponsored event, held at the Village on the Green in Aspull.
The 12 categories included Clinical Team of the Year, Hidden Gem and the Green award, along with the Chief Executive Award and Board of Directors Award, with the winners being chosen from more than 600 nominations.
Speaking after the event, Deputy Chief Executive Mary Fleming said: “What a fabulous night to celebrate the incredible effort that every member of staff has put in at WWL over the past year. I can’t thank them enough for continuing to provide the high quality, patient-centred care our Trust is known for. It’s no doubt been a difficult year for many of them, both professionally and personally, with the ongoing industrial action, but despite this, our staff have continued to go above and beyond.
“It was also great to be able to celebrate the Trust’s many achievements over the past 12 months, including many big birthdays – Wigan’s Royal Albert Edward Infirmary turning 150 years, Wrightington Hospital’s 90th anniversary, WWL Radio celebrating 50 years on air, and 10 years of the Hanover Building at Leigh Infirmary. We’ve also had the opening of our Research Hub in Ashton-in-Makerfield and opened a new ultrasound suite at the Thomas Linacre Centre (TLC).
“I’d also like to thank our sponsors of the 2023 STAR Awards, without you events like this, to recognise our incredible staff, wouldn’t be able to go ahead. We are extremely grateful to have their help in celebrating the excellence of our colleagues and services, and we were proud to have them with us on the night too”.
There was also a special mention to the Trust’s Surgical Admissions Lounge Team (SAL), who became WWL’s first ward to win a Gold ASPIRE Award. The team were presented with a plaque on the night by Chief Nurse Rabina Tindale, for their work in the programme, designed to measure, evaluate, and continuously improve the delivery of care in our wards and units across WWL.
A full list of the categories and winners can be seen below:
- Best example of Research, Innovation and Improvement, sponsored by Hempsons: Mr Chye Yew Ng, Consultant Hand and Peripheral Nerve Surgeon
- Excellence in Equality, Diversity and Inclusion, sponsored by Cube Creative Ltd.: Toria King, Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Lead
- Clinical Team of the Year, sponsored by Altera: Critical Care Outreach Team
- Non-Clinical Team of the Year, sponsored by Altera: Mortuary Team
- Non-Clinical Team of the Year (Corporate/Support), sponsored by Altera: Catering Team
- The Green Award, sponsored by Hill Dickinson: Audiology Team
- The Hidden Gem Award, sponsored by Frank Whittle Partnership: Veronika Stevens, volunteer
- Learner of the Year, sponsored by NHS Professionals: Emma Ashcroft, Staff Experience and Wellbeing Administrator
- Leader of the Year, sponsored by Liaison: Michelle Hartley, Specialist Midwife, Daisy Team Manager
- Best Example of Care and Compassion, sponsored by Browne Jacobson: Kellie Baldwin, Deputy Team Leader, ODP, Surgery
- CEO Award: Lara Nelson, Staff Nurse, Early Pregnancy Unit, Leigh
- Board of Directors Award: Emergency Care Village
The judging panels for each of the awards consisted of an Executive Director, Staff Side Representative, Staff Engagement Associates and representatives from the Trust’s various Staff Networks.