Care is the beating heart of the Brighton & Sussex University Hospitals (BSUH) Trust. Last night, that heart swelled with pride as the many kindnesses, innovations and instances of ‘above and beyond’ dedication shown by staff and volunteers were celebrated in the Trust’s inaugural Patient First STARS Awards.
More than 200 BSUH staff and volunteers celebrated the winners in 12 different categories for this inaugural Patient First STARS Award event, nominations for which were open to the whole BSUH community including staff and volunteers. As each winner’s name was called, the Brighton Metropole rang to the sounds of thunderous applause and, on more than one occasion, standing ovations rippled through the audience as stories were read out and awards received.
“For this first event, more than 370 nominations were received by the judging panel including 20 nominations from our patients,” said BSUH Chief Executive, Marianne Griffiths.
“Every single one of those nominations told a story – of individuals passionate about patient care, about their colleagues and about making a different to the communities served by our hospitals.
“Congratulations to all of our winners, and to everyone who was shortlisted this year. You’re all STARS to me!”
Interim Chairman of the Trust Board, Patrick Boyle, added:
“The Board has been impressed by the nominations for this year’s Patient First Stars Awards and, as interim Chair, I would like to say ‘Thank You’ to all of the STARS nominees for everything that they do for patients and colleagues alike at BSUH.
“The range of nominations was impressive, and the winners richly deserve their time in the spotlight. Congratulations!”
During the evening, a posthumous award was made to Peter Hay, a volunteer who had been selflessly giving his time to staff and patients in Brighton’s Royal County Hospital, and later the Trust, for over 50 years.
Winners in all 12 categories were:
- Patient’s Champion – Matthew Jackson, Senior Theatre Nurse, Royal Sussex County Hospital (RSCH)
- Leader of the Future – Kim Vallier – Manager, A&E, RSCH
- Care for the Future – Catherine Medlow – Lifelong Learning Lead, Practice Development, RSCH
- Innovator of the Year – Mr Shafique Sajid – Consultant GI Surgeon
- Extra Mile – Pat Leonard – Healthcare Assistant, Critical Care, RSCH
- Team of the Year – Haematology Unit – RSCH
- Compassionate Care – Dr David Tayler – Consultant Anaesthetist, Princess Royal Hospital and Sussex Orthopaedic Trauma Centre
- Volunteer of the Year – Peter Hay (1932 – 2018) – Volunteer, Sussex Cancer Centre, RSCH. Sadly Peter passed away shortly before the STARS event, but he was proudly represented on the evening by two of his four children. We were honoured that they attended to receive the award on his behalf
- Hospital Hero – Joanne Simpson – Ward Manager 8A West, RSCH
- Education – Sonia Blundell – Practice Development Sister, RSCH
- Employee of the Year – David Phillips – Senior Staff Nurse, CCU, Royal Alexandra Children’s Hospital
- Chairman’s Award – Andrew Abbs – Healthcare Assistant, Clinical Infection Service, Courtyard 6 & 7, RSCH
This year’s event was generously sponsored by the BSUH Charity, which provides a vehicle for grateful patients, visitors and the community served by BSUH to recognise the outstanding care provided by the Trust’s staff and volunteers. In respecting those wishes, the BSUH Charity chose to partner with the Trust to thank staff and volunteers who have selflessly gone above and beyond in delivering outstanding care to patients.
The winners and runners up for each BSUH STARS 2018 award can be seen in the souvenir programme and live coverage was provided on Twitter through the #BSUHStars hashtag by the @BSUH_NHS team.
