Sherwood Forest Hospitals is giving patients, their families and the public the chance to nominate a deserving member of staff or team who goes the extra mile for a special award.

The People’s Award is one of the categories in the Trust’s annual Staff Excellence Awards and celebrates those members of staff who go above and beyond to deliver outstanding care or service, from porters and cleaners, nurses and doctors, through to administration staff and managers.

Anyone can nominate in The People’s Award category and nominations can be made for whole departments, ward teams, an individual member of staff or support team members who work at King’s Mill Hospital, Newark Hospital or Mansfield Community Hospital.

Sherwood Forest Hospitals’ Chief Executive, Richard Mitchell, said: “Opening up a special award to nominations from the public is a fantastic way for patients and families to show their appreciation for our dedicated staff, who very often go above and beyond to deliver outstanding care and make a visit to hospital a little bit easier.

“Our 2018 awards were a huge success with a record-breaking number of nominations. This is testament to the commitment and dedication that staff show and how well thought of they are amongst colleagues and patients.

“I believe all of our colleagues strive to provide the very best in patient care but these awards aim to highlight where a team or an individual has truly made a difference and exceeded expectations. Your nominations, whether the individual is shortlisted or not, help staff to feel recognised and appreciated. I will write to every member of staff nominated to tell them that they have been recognised for the care that they have provided to our patients.”

Nominations can be made via an online form on the Sherwood Forest Hospitals website or posted to Communications Team, Sherwood Forest Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Trust HQ, King’s Mill Hospital, Sutton in Ashfield, Nottinghamshire, NG17 4JL. Please provide your name, telephone number, your nomination and reason for nominating in no more than 200 words.

Last year’s winner of the People’s Award was a haematology consultant at King’s Mill Hospital, Dr Steve Jones. He was nominated for the award by a patient who had been under his care at the hospital since her cancer diagnosis in 2012. In her nomination she described Dr Jones as always having time for all of his patients and that he listens and answers any question or worry, no matter how busy he is.

Dr Jones said: “It was a humbling experience to receive the award and hear such positive feedback. As a team, we’re all about treating patients and putting them first so to be nominated by a patient is the highest form of praise and reinforces what we do and why we do it. The awards evening itself was lovely and I think events like this really do help staff to feel important and appreciated for what they do.”

Nominations close on Friday, 6th September, at 5pm. As well as The People’s Award, 18 other awards nominated for by staff will be handed out at an awards ceremony on Friday, 8th November.