The dedication, compassion and creativity of colleagues, partners and volunteers has been celebrated at Surrey and Borders Partnership NHS Foundation Trust’s 18th annual Staff Awards.
More than 190 people attended the event on Wednesday, 13 May, held at Epsom Race Course, including the Deputy Lord Lieutenant of Surrey, Andrew Latham and Deputy Mayor of Epsom, Councillor Lucie McIntyre.
The annual awards recognise the outstanding contribution colleagues make across the Trust’s mental health, learning disability, neurodevelopmental and drug and alcohol services. Winners were chosen from more than 484 nominations.
Speaking at the event, Graham Wareham, Chief Executive, said: “This event gives us the chance to celebrate the incredible work you do every day. The 500 nominations we received came from colleagues, partner organisations, people who use our services and carers - so being shortlisted tonight is a huge achievement.”
The 12 award categories included Employee of the Year for each division, Clinician of the Year and Team of the Year, celebrating individuals and teams who have gone above and beyond to provide high quality care and support.
Team of the Year was awarded to the Research and Development Team, who were nominated for their outstanding commitment to making research accessible, welcoming and impactful, while supporting people who use our services to feel informed, reassured and valued throughout their involvement.
Josie Jenkinson, Consultant Psychiatrist for Older People, said: "This recognition reflects the extraordinary dedication, hard work, skill, and collaborative spirit of everyone in the team.
“We are enormously proud of everything this team has built, and grateful to all the participants and our colleagues who make our work possible.”
A nominator involved in one of the drug trials being run by the team said: “The colleagues in Chertsey have been outstanding. They are well prepared, polite and explain each procedure clearly. Their kindness, cheerfulness and support give me full confidence throughout the process.”
Becky Owen, Early Intervention in Psychosis (EIIP) East Support Time and Recovery Worker, won Healthcare Support Worker of the year.
Becky said: "It was a great honour to be nominated for the Healthcare Support Worker of the year award, I was not expecting to win. Just being nominated meant everything.
"I feel very privileged doing the role I do supporting individuals in their journey with our service EIIP. I could not do the work I do without the support from such an amazing team so I would like to thank everyone I work with.”
Gold Award Winners
- Employee of the Year Services for People with Learning Disabilities and Neurodiversity - Neesha Mohes
- Employee of the Year - Hospitals and Specialist Services - Katie Topley
- Employee of the Year - Community Mental Health Services - Martin Stout
- Employee of the Year - Children and Young People's Services - Amy Secular
- Employee of the Year - Corporate Setting - Mitzie Turner-Wells
- Administrative Employee of the Year in a Clinical Setting - Karen Murphy
- Healthcare Support Worker of the Year - Becky Owen
- Clinician of the Year - Dr Kit Akass
- Award for a Carer or Person with Lived Experience - Sharon Jackson
- Involvement and Contribution Award - Wendy Smith
- Inspirational Leader of the Year - Dr Shriti Burgul
- Team of the Year - Research and Development
