NHS staff and volunteers were praised for their compassion and excellence during a ceremony at Oxford town hall on Thursday evening (June 9).

The Oxford University Hospitals staff recognition awards, which returned for the first time since 2019, were attended by more than 200 people including staff, volunteers, patientsโ€™ families and fundraisers from the trust.

The awards recognised their hard work and dedication during the past two years and were based on the trustโ€™s values, including compassion, excellence, improvement, learning, respect and delivery.

The winners were chosen among about 1,400 nominations and there was also an award for charity supporter or volunteer of the year, as well as patients' choice and chair's awards.

Charge nurse Ray Atienza-Hawkes was rewarded for his compassion in helping his team at the John Radcliffe Hospital to cope with challenging times, including the loss of a colleague.

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Mr Atienza-Hawkes, 48, said: โ€œDuring the early times of the pandemic, we lost one of our colleagues due to covid and it was a very difficult time for all of us.

โ€œWe do manage challenging situations on a daily basis, including unfortunately losing some of the people we look after, but thereโ€™s never a time where you are prepared for such difficult times.

โ€œWhen we heard the news, I thought โ€˜is there a way we can make this easier for the team?โ€™ and I reached out to the Oxford Hospitals charity.

โ€œThey helped us with a quiet room for the staff to have a sit down and reflect, or just to talk, because sometimes thatโ€™s all you need when you are going through a challenging time.โ€

Mr Atienza-Hawkes, who is originally from the Philippines, started working for the trust in 2001.

He said: โ€œGetting the award was a very exciting and happy moment, Iโ€™m very humbled by the recognition.

โ€œAs a nurse, compassion really is at the heart of what we do.โ€

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Care support worker Jaime Yumol won the excellence award for his work in the surgical emergency unit and for his efforts to cheer his team up when they were struggling during the most difficult times of the pandemic.

The improvement award winner was specialist speech and language therapist Samantha Holmes, who worked to give OUH cancer patients a level of gold standard assessment and treatment, working on projects benefit them during their stay at the hospital and had positive effects after their admission.

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Mykila Donaldson, a deputy sister in the neurosciences team, scooped up the learning award.

Her nominator said: โ€œShe taught me how to be compassionate. She has a huge positive impact on others and supports them with everything that she can. My progress of becoming a better professional and person is achieved thanks to Mykila, who is the most amazing nurse I ever met.โ€

Professor Sir Jonathan Montgomery, who chairs the trust, said: "I was so privileged to be here, not only to present the chair's award, but to bear witness to the extraordinary work our staff do, and the respect afforded to them by their colleagues and patients."

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Terry Roberts, chief people officer for Oxford University Hospitals, said: "It was such an honour to attend the ceremony and have this opportunity to thank these exceptional people for all that they do.

"The achievements of these winners and shortlisted nominees are an example of the wonderful culture that has been developing among our team, and a window into the fantastic work that takes place every day as we care for our patients."

Full list of winners:

Excellence

Winner

Jaime Yumol
Care Support Worker, Surgical Emergency Unit

Shortlisted

Rabah Chelouche

Dr Nicola Curry

Emergency Assessment Unit Nursing Team

Compassion

Winner

Ray Atienza-Hawkes
Charge Nurse, Ambulatory Assessment Unit

Shortlisted

Lizzy Clark and Kerry Newton

Alison Gates

Stewart Malpas

Psychological Medicine Team

Improvement

Winner

Samantha Holmes
Specialist Speech and Language Therapist, Therapies, Churchill Hospital

Shortlisted

  • Bryony Butler and Vicki Wharton
  • Catherine Dixon
  • International Nurses' Programme Team

Learning

Winner

Mykila Donaldson
Deputy Sister, Neurosciences

Shortlisted

  • Dr Eleni Ieremia
  • Flo Stoermer
  • Ward 5E/F, John Radcliffe Hospital

Respect

Winner

Lorraine Soanes
Pulmonary Hypertension Administrator / MDT Co-ordinator

Shortlisted

  • Community Paediatrics Team
  • Stella Holman
  • Vicky Robinson

Delivery

Winners

  • Supply Chain Team
  • Hollie Lord, Ward Manager Assistant, Vascular Surgery Administration

Shortlisted

  • Microbiology Team
  • Primary Care Clinical Trials Unit Research Nurse Team
  • Sterile Services Team

Oxford Hospitals Charity Award for Supporter or Volunteer of the Year

Winner

Amatsia Kashti
Volunteer, Eye Hospital

Shortlisted

  • Paul Masters
  • HIV Support Team
  • Volunteers

Patients' Choice

Winner

Amanda Simpson

Shortlisted

  • Claudia Barry
  • Clare Richards
  • Dr Rene Roux and Ella Peterson
  • Amanda Simpson

Chair's Award

Winner

Sarah Overton
Speech and Language Therapist

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