Trust’s heroes celebrated at awards

Hundreds of staff at the Trust which runs Shropshire’s two acute hospitals have been honoured for their efforts in an awards ceremony held over two days.

Staff at The Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust (SaTH) were named “SaTH Heroes” after being nominated by colleagues, patients and members of the public.

Overall, the Trust received almost 200 nominations for individuals and teams across the organisation, with around half celebrated during a ceremony at the Royal Shrewsbury Hospital yesterday (THURSDAY). The other heroes were recognised at an event at the Princess Royal Hospital in Telford today (FRIDAY).

A judging panel, which included members of the Trust’s Patient Experience and Involvement Panel (PEIP), also chose a number of the nominees as “Super Heroes”.

Simon Wright, Chief Executive, said: “It is clear that every day, incredible things are done at this Trust to help the people of Shropshire, Telford & Wrekin and mid Wales, whom we are here to serve. And it is only right that we take opportunities like this to recognise that work, and say ‘Thank you’ on their behalf.

“We know how tough people’s jobs can be at times, as demand for our services increases. So I am delighted to say that this time around we received more nominations than ever, with almost 200 individuals and teams across the Trust being put forward.

“That indicates very clearly to me that despite that increased demand our staff are, each day, living our Trust Values: Proud to Care, Make It Happen, We Value Respect and Together We Achieve.”

Among the Super Heroes recognised were:

• Thea Wilson, who has raised thousands of pounds after being treated as a patient at the Royal Shrewsbury Hospital (RSH).

Thea turned her own experiences of a rare blood cancer into a fundraising mission for the departments that looked after her. She smashed her original fundraising target, raising £7,200 plus Gift Aid for the Shropshire Blood Trust Fund.

• Nick Evans, a porter at the Princess Royal Hospital. Nick was out for a meal when he saw a member of the public choking. He immediately performed the Heimlich Manoeuvre and then proceeded, with a friend, to provide CPR until the ambulance arrived, saving the man’s life.

• Mr Suresh Sagili from the Acute Referral Centre at RSH. Mr Sagili was nominated by patient Barbara Blakeway and her husband Clive as a result of the care they received following a telephone call at 5.30am on January 31. Despite not being on call and snow on the ground he arrived at their home smartly dressed and quickly diagnosed the problem before arranging treatment. Mr Sagili was officially off duty for the remainder of the week but made time to meet Mr Blakeway for regular appointments at the Acute Referral Centre.

• The A&E Departments at both hospitals were also named as Super Heroes for their incredible work in often difficult circumstances.