Nine individuals and three organisations from Co Armagh have been shortlisted in the inaugural 2022 Northern Ireland Health and Social Care Awards sponsored by Bond Healthcare.
They are: Margaret Kidd, Founder and Ambassador of CRADLE, Clare Cushenan a Campaigner for children born with Trisomy 21 and Alexandra King are in the running for Volunteer of the Year;
Clare McCooe an Epilepsy Nurse Specialist with the Southern Trust and Registered Nurse Elaine Ward from the Neonatal Unit in Craigavon Area Hospital are both finalists for Nurse of the Year
Dr Jonathan Palmer and Dr Sam Thompson from Craigavon Area Hospital are both shortlisted for the title of Doctor of the Year
Mairead McVeigh from the Southern Trust is in the running for Social Worker of the Year
Helena Bucanan from the Practice Pharmacist, Riverside Practice in Portadown has been shortlisted in the Excellence in Pharmacy category
The Virtual Visiting Service at the Southern Trust has been shortlisted in the Innovative Use of Technology & Social Media category
Craigavon Haematology Ward in the Craigavon Area Hospital is a finalist in the Inpatient Ward of the Year category
Bluestone Unit – Dorsy Ward in the Craigavon Area Hospital has been shortlisted in the Inpatient ward of the year category
Over 1,200 entries were received for the awards which recognise and celebrate the vital work and dedication of health and social care staff right across the sector.
Throughout the last two years, COVID-19 has presented the biggest challenge that the sector has ever faced. Despite being under continued and sustained pressure, and dealing with the most heart-breaking situations, health and social care professionals continued to deliver services with the utmost of compassion and care.
The awards were judged by an independent panel of some of the most respected individuals – former Chief Nursing Officer for Northern Ireland, Professor Charlotte McArdle; Dr Sinead Campbell-Gray, Emergency Medicine Consultant for Belfast Health and Social Care Trust, Northern Ireland Specialist Transport & Retrieval and Helicopter Emergency Medical Service; Conor McDowell, Lead Nurse of Belfast Trust; Andy Mayhew, Chief Executive of Praxis Care; Dr Nichola Booth, Lecturer in Behaviour Analysis & Autism, QUB; Disability Rights Activist, Michaela Hollywood and Wellness Advocate, Annette Kelly.
200 individuals and organisations have been shortlisted in 21 categories including Health & Social Care Leader of the Year, Excellence in Emergency Services, Doctor of the Year, Social Worker of the Year, Nurse of the Year and Midwife of the Year and the finalists are inclusive of all health and social care professionals from across Northern Ireland.
Bernard Rooney, Director of Bond Healthcare said: “We are delighted with the response to the inaugural Health & Social Care Awards. Over 1,200 entries were received and the independent judging panel certainly had a hard job in picking the shortlists. The finalists include a strong representation of many health and social care organisations from right across the whole industry including care homes, domiciliary care, GP practices, day care services and NHS hospitals.
This also includes a truly diverse professional representation across the finalists including domestics, carers, doctors, nurses, physios, OT’s, kitchen assistants, social workers to name but a few. Congratulations to all of the finalists and we look forward to celebrating the local health and social care sector on Thursday 28th April.”
Speaking on behalf of the judges, Dr Sinead Campbell-Gray said: “It was a privilege to be on the judging panel for the inaugural Health and Social Care Awards and to have had the honour of reading through the testimonials of the nominees. The judging has been a difficult yet rewarding process as it yet again highlights the incredible work our health and social care workforce delivers across Northern Ireland every single day and I have been humbled and inspired by all their stories.
To hear more about how many vital teams and valued colleagues stepped bravely up to the plate when faced with a global pandemic to provide for us and our communities when we needed them the most. We are so fortunate to have such a variety of incredible staff members, volunteers and organisations all working so hard in our health and social care services despite all the challenges and difficulties facing our communities over the past few years. A huge thank you to all of our nominees and also to the entire health and social care team in Northern Ireland for your passion and dedication.”
Winners will be announced at a prestigious ceremony hosted by Dr Amir Khan, resident GP on Good Morning Britain and Lorraine, and Paediatric Nurse and Cool FM presenter, Katharine Walker, on Thursday, April 28 in the Crowne Plaza Belfast.
Individual category sponsors include Balmoral Healthcare, Beyond Digital, Bowden Property, Connected Academy, Exchange Accountants, HSC Clinical Education Centre, Keenan Recruitment, Sewing Solutions, Tayto, Strategic Thinking and TruWASH.
The charity partner is the Air Ambulance Northern Ireland which provides the Helicopter Emergency Medical Service attending some of the most traumatic medical incidents across the province, delivering the very best pre-hospital critical care, both at the scene and whilst transferring the patients to the most appropriate hospital for their specific injuries.
The full list of finalists can be found at www.healthandsocialawards.com
