Six healthcare teams from across the West Midlands have been announced as representing the region at the prestigious NHS Parliamentary Awards next month.

The finalists for the West Midlands demonstrate the immense commitment and achievements of healthcare staff in the region. This includes Gary Swann, from University Hospitals of Birmingham NHSFT who has been shortlisted for the The Lifetime Achievement Award. Gary’s NHS career spans an incredible 42 years, starting off as a Healthcare Assistant and working up to his current role as Advanced Clinical Practitioner.

The other West Midlands regional champions for the NHS Parliamentary Awards are as follows:

• The Excellence in Mental Health Care Award: Coventry Homeless Mental Health Team, NHS CWPT – Homeless Mental Health Team
• The Excellence in Primary Care and Community Care Award: Worcester City Primary Care Network
• The Future NHS Award: Sandwell & West Birmingham NHS Trust Musculoskeletal Service Team, Sandwell and West Birmingham NHS Trust
• The Health Equalities Award: Staffordshire Lung Health Checks, University Hospitals of North Midlands
• The Excellence in Healthcare Award: Living with and beyond Cancer Services App, Worcestershire Acute Hospitals Trust

These nominees will now go forward to the final stage of the awards, alongside four other shortlisted candidates from the East Midlands and other finalists from different regions. There are ten categories in total, with the winners being announced on Monday 14 October 2024.

The NHS Parliamentary Awards were created in 2018 to celebrate and recognise the outstanding contribution of staff, volunteers and others working in the health and care sector. The Awards also provide an opportunity for health and care organisations to engage with their local MPs, tell them about the work they do, and build and strengthen their relationships.

The ten award categories this year cover exceptional care and health innovation right across the breadth of healthcare services, as well as acknowledging the inspiring individual contributions of staff, including through the Lifetime Achievement Award which celebrates those who have worked in the NHS for 40 years or more.

Following the first stage of the competition, where MPs nominated healthcare teams and individuals in their local area, NHS England regions put forward one regional champion in each category to go forward to the national shortlist round of the awards.

Competition was especially fierce this year, with 318 MPs putting forward 918 nominations across England – a number far more than in any previous year. It is an incredible achievement for every nominee who made it through to the final round – and the calibre of entries in the Midlands was exceptionally high.

Dr Mohammed Saqib Anwar, Medical Director System Improvement and Professional Standards Responsible Officer in the Midlands and regional judge, said: “It was so heart-warming to read about all the fantastic work that is being done by some amazing teams and individuals.

“Huge congratulations to everyone in the Midlands that have been shortlisted. It is people and teams like these that are the heartbeat of the NHS.”

A panel of national judges – made up of notable figures across the healthcare sector – will now come together to select the winners of this year’s awards. These winners will be announced at the awards ceremony taking place on Monday 14 October 2024 – when healthcare leaders, finalists, and new and returning MPs will come together to celebrate the immense contribution which healthcare staff make to the NHS.

ENDS

Note to editors:

The full list of regional champions for the NHS Parliamentary Awards 2024 in the Midlands are:

• The Excellence in Urgent and Emergency Care Award: Same Day Emergency Care (SDEC), University Hospitals of Derby and Burton NHS Trust
• The Excellence in Education and Training Award: Lincolnshire Health & Care Apprentice Centre, Lincolnshire Community Health Services NHS Trust
• The Volunteer Award: Leicestershire, Leicester & Rutland Headway, Headway Leicester
• The Nursing and Midwifery Award: Frailty Admission and Discharge Unit, Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust
• The Lifetime Achievement Award: Gary Swann, University Hospitals of Birmingham NHSFT
• The Excellence in Mental Health Care Award: Coventry Homeless Mental Health Team, NHS CWPT – Homeless Mental Health Team
• The Excellence in Primary Care and Community Care Award: Worcester City Primary Care Network
• The Future NHS Award: Sandwell & West Birmingham NHS Trust Musculoskeletal Service Team, Sandwell and West Birmingham NHS Trust
• The Health Equalities Award: Staffordshire Lung Health Checks, University Hospitals of North Midlands
• The Excellence in Healthcare Award: Living with and beyond Cancer Services App, Worcestershire Acute Hospitals Trust