[R]ory Stewart MP has nominated six Cumbrian healthcare providers for the NHS70 Parliamentary Awards, which are designed to celebrate the NHS’s 70th anniversary by honouring outstanding local teams, projects and people.
It was a difficult decision but, in the end, Rory nominated the Alston Alliance for the Healthier Communities Award, the Eden Community Nursing Teams for the Care and Compassion Award, the Eden Unit’s multidisciplinary team for the Person-Centred Care Champion Award, Cumbria Health on Call for the Excellence in Primary Care Award, Eveline Dugdale for the Patient and Public Involvement Award and Sheila Richardson for the Lifetime Achievement Award.
Commenting on his choices, Rory said “I am very proud of the quality of Cumbrian healthcare and it is a privilege to nominate these six, all of whom have had a major impact on their communities. The Alston Alliance cares for one of England’s most rural communities, ingeniously adapting its services to respond to the unique challenges it faces. This innovative approach is also on show in the Eden Unit’s multidisciplinary team’s ‘Red to Green Days’, which have significantly reduced patients’ length of stay”.
“Eden Community Nursing Teams demonstrated their grit, commitment and compassion during the recent, appalling snows, ensuring patient safety in difficult, exhausting and emotional circumstances. Outstanding commitment is a quality that I was also impressed to see in the work of Cumbria Health on Call, the country’s very first out-of-hours service to be rated as ‘Outstanding’ by the CQC. They all deserve recognition and our thanks for all that they do”.
“It is also a real privilege to nominate two outstanding individuals: Eveline Dugdale and Sheila Richardson. Both have been involved with the NHS for over four decades, delivering vital care and support to patients. Sheila’s commitment is unshakeable: she has travelled down mines to rescue miners and cared for patients on New Year’s Day. Eveline has been a tireless volunteer, a talented community organiser and a real inspiration. They both deserve these awards.
“The 70th anniversary of the foundation of the NHS will be an excellent opportunity to recognise, thank and congratulate those who have made our health system admired and imitated worldwide. I wish all of my nominees the very best of luck and I am sure that their example of hard work and dedication, incredible resilience and commitment, will see them triumph at the awards ceremony in July. I will be willing them all on”.
The shortlist will be announced on 21 May and the awards ceremony will take place in the Palace of Westminster on 4 July.
