Today marks the 72nd birthday of our National Health Service. It goes without saying that 2020 has been one of the most challenging years in the organisation's history with COVID-19 creating a global health emergency on a scale not seen for a century.
The NHS responded swiftly and flexibly to deal with the pandemic and staff – present, past and future – have had to come together as never before, supported by volunteers and the general public. The nation owes a debt of gratitude to the 1.3 million-strong army of nurses, midwives, doctors, physios, pharmacists, healthcare and maternity care assistants, porters, cleaners, and countless other staff who ensured no patient who could benefit from NHS care was unable to receive it.
The selflessness, dedication, and skill of the professionals within the NHS is an inspiration to us all and the NHS Parliamentary Awards are an opportunity to recognise and celebrate the outstanding contribution of NHS staff. As the Member of Parliament for Broxtowe, I can put forward one nomination for each award category (listed below), and in order to do this, I need your help! Singling out those who have made the greatest contribution may seem like an impossible task, but this is exactly what we are asking you to do.
The Categories are:
- The Excellence in Healthcare Award
- The Excellence in Mental Healthcare Award
- The Excellence in Urgent and Emergency Care Award
- The Excellence in Primary Care Award
- The Future NHS Award
- The Health Equalities Award
- The Care and Compassion Award
- The Wellbeing at Work Award
- The NHS Rising Star
- The Lifetime Achievement Award
Find out more about each individual category here.