A HEART specialist changing lives in Glasgow and Gambia, and the team behind a high-tech procedure to treat throat cancers, were among the “healthcare heroes” hailed at a recent awards ceremony.
Dedicated staff from NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde were recognised at the health board’s annual Celebrating Success event.
Among those honoured with Gold Excellence awards were the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital’s transoral robotic service, a sophisticated, computer-enhanced system which makes throat cancer procedures less invasive; and the physiotherapy team at Leverndale Hospital for its Meander for Mental Health walking initiative.
A team of volunteers at Gartnavel Royal, who established the hospital’s new Hub café, and Renfrewshire Care Home Nursing Support Team, recognised for its approach to preventing unnecessary hospital admissions from care homes, also triumphed.
Dr Ceilidh Dunn, a paediatric cardiac physiologist specialising in congenital heart conditions at the Royal Hospital for Children, won the Global Citizenship Gold Excellence Award.
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In her spare time, she has gone to great lengths to help children with undiagnosed heart conditions in Gambia, setting up diagnostic services in paediatric cardiology in the Edward Francis Small Teaching hospital, situated in the capital Banjul.
Other Gold Excellence award winners included Staffbank Service and Digital Psychological Therapies, and the Acute Services Professional Admin Transformation Programme.
Two special Chair’s Awards of Excellence were presented by NHSGGC chairperson Dr Lesley Thomson to the teenage and young adult cancer team based in the Beatson and to Dr Mike Basler, a consultant anaesthetist at the Glasgow Royal Infirmary.
Since 2017, Dr Basler has been helping provide anaesthetic care to patients in Ghana as part of Resurge Africa, while organising and leading burns, resuscitation and regional anaesthesia courses for local staff.
A further 18 winners were announced across NHSGGC’s local sectors, health and social care partnerships and other services including diagnostics, public health and pharmacy.
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The William Cullen Prize for Innovation was jointly awarded to Judith Roulston, who implemented treatment escalation plans for the Beatson in-patient service, and to Professor Keith Muir and Dr Wazim Izzath for the development of a thrombectomy service for stroke patients on the QEUH campus.
The William Cullen Prize for Education was given to Dr Lucy Carrick, a consultant psychiatrist and clinical director of Gartnavel Royal Hospital.
During the event, more than £2800 was raised for cancer support charity Maggie’s.
Dr Thomson said: “This year’s winners are fantastic examples of how health and social care staff routinely go above and beyond to ensure patients get the best possible care.
“Every award winner and nominee should be immensely proud of themselves for the contribution they make to the delivery of healthcare in Scotland.”
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