Kind, Connected and Bold Award winners

Good Hope Hospital

Ward 14, General Surgery

Nominated by a colleague, who said: “During a busy shift there was a medical emergency on Ward 14. It involved a young patient, and was long and complex. The staff all worked together as a team to support the Critical Care Outreach Team.

Elena Ghiorghe, Nursing Associate, Critical Care

For her knowledge, dedication, compassion and courage. Elena was proactive when a patient became critically unwell and raised concerns immediately. She was calm, decisive and always one step ahead, anticipating what the patient needed and communicating clearly and confidently with the medical team.

Alison Jackson, Physiotherapy Clinical Team Lead, Therapy Services

Nominated by a colleague, who said: “Alison has been a very supportive and responsive manager. She always takes a proactive interest in staff wellbeing and team morale and always takes time to listen to staff. Her organisation and ability to understand the needs of the team makes her an asset to the Trust.”

Heartlands Hospital

Ward 18, Trauma and Orthopaedics

Nominated by a patient’s relative, who said: “We wanted to thank the team for the care given to my nan following her hip replacement surgery. The staff were consistently kind, approachable, and professional. We appreciated the patience, understanding and calm way everyone supported her she has dementia. She was treated with dignity and respect all the time and it was reassuring to know was being well looked after.”

Stewart Black, Heart Failure Advanced Clinical Practitioner, Cardiology

For going above and beyond every day to ensure his patients get the best possible care. Stewart always puts his patients at the forefront of everything, often working late to ensure that patients get the best care. He has great rapport with patients who often send letters expressing their gratitude for his kindness and care.

Linzie Bassett, Clinical Team Leader and Physiotherapist, Neurology, Therapy Services

Nominated by a colleague, who said: “Linzie leads with genuine compassion. She consistently checks in on her staff, ensuring their wellbeing is never overlooked despite her own demanding schedule. Her kindness is felt in every interaction, whether it’s offering support during challenging times or celebrating her team’s success. She creates an environment where staff feel valued, respected and encouraged to grow.”

Benilda Roberts, Healthcare Assistant, Vascular Surgery

For Benilda’s outstanding dedication and professionalism. Benilda approaches her role with a positive attitude and is highly reliable, requiring little supervision. She is proactive, supportive and efficient. She has great communication and organisation skills and works extremely well with the wider team.

Gerlie Carino, Staff Nurse, Critical Care

Nominated by a colleague, who said: “Gerlie recently cared for a patient at the end of their life during one of the most emotional nights a family can endure. The family were facing grief and in the middle of this heartbreak, Gerlie was a calm, compassionate and unwavering presence, offering strength, reassurance and dignity when it was needed most.”

Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham

Kathryn Hennessey, Staff Nurse, Critical Care

Nominated by a colleague, who said: “Kathryn was working a long day and she had two patients who needed a high level of care. The relatives sitting with one of the patients commented on how busy both bed spaces had been and were surprised she managed to get through the shift. She is dedicated and shows genuine concern to patients.”

Adam Dance, Staff Nurse, Critical Care

For Adam’s consistent positivity, professionalism and unwavering support for both patients and colleagues within the Intensive Therapy Unit. Adam is friendly and outgoing and actively helps to lift the team morale on even the busiest and most challenging days. He remains calm, focused and professional in high pressure situations, managing the situation with expertise and confidence.

Elaine Howard, Nurse, Renal Surgery

For Elaine’s consistent hard work and always going out of her way to help patients, going above and beyond.

Dr Faisal Hassan, Doctor, Gemma McCarthy and Julie Reddan, Nurse Practitioners, Stroke

Nominated by a colleague, who said: “Faisal walked into work during the heavy snow when off duty, as many other staff were unable to get to the hospital. He provided care to three stroke thrombectomy patients who did not miss out on prompt treatment. Gemma and Julie worked a 12-hour shift and were then unable to get home so stayed and then proceeded to work another 12-hour shift the next day.”

Clinical and Operational Team, Emergency Department, Emergency Medicine

For the team’s drive, enthusiasm and commitment to delivering improvements. The team has consistently embraced undertaking transformational work alongside wider system colleagues. They respond proactively to implement changes to improve both the patient journey and patient outcomes despite the pressures and challenges faced daily at the front door.”

Eve Gillespie, Matron - Emergency General Surgery, Urology, Upper GI, Colorectal and Sarcoma; Jenna Hall, Interim General Manager for General Surgery, UGI, LGI and Sarcoma; Joanne Loughlin, Surgical Assessment Unit and Surgical Same Day Emergency Care Unit Manager

For ensuring the safe and effective transfer of surgical assessment from the sixth floor to the first floor. Eve, Jo and Jenna ensured patients were cared for appropriately while the move was taking place.

Solihull Hospital

Usman Ali Bashir, Senior Decontamination Technician Team Lead, Facilities

For incredible hard work and care. Usman goes above and beyond for his team and uses his can-do attitude to drive his colleagues’ progression, offering support ad helping colleagues to overcome difficult barriers. He is kind to everyone, bold and enthusiastic.

Paljinder (Popsy) Bains, Charge Nurse, Healthcare of Older People

Nominated by colleagues, who said: “Popsy is an absolute pleasure to work with. She is kind, caring and considers staff and patients’ wellbeing. She goes above and beyond and has uplifted the ward in many ways. She takes time to listen and understand others and is always considerate to patients and their families.”

Community

Pulmonary Rehabilitation Team, Therapy Services, Solihull Hospital and Community Services

Nominated by a patient’s relative, who said: “The team demonstrate genuine care, empathy and respect for every patient and create a welcoming environment encouraging and believing in all patients' ability to improve and reach their goals. The professionalism, approachability and positivity of every staff member is exceptional, with care and concern that is truly inspiring and world-class.”

Isabel Meah, Staff Nurse, Solihull Community Services

For being an incredible nurse and constantly supporting her colleagues by giving advice and making sure everyone on shift is ok. Isabel ensured that students are always supported and makes them feel a part of the team. Isabel is an advocate for patients and goes above and beyond.

Corporate

Claudia Deans, Personalised Care Support Worker, Cancer Services, Queen Elizabeth Hospital

Nominated by a colleague, who said: “While walking to my office, I noticed a healthcare colleague supporting a patient in the corridor who was struggling to walk and becoming increasingly distressed. Claudia, despite being extremely busy with her own tasks had taken it upon herself to ensure this patient wasn’t left to struggle alone. She stepped in with genuine care and initiative, recognising immediately that he needed support, fetching him a chair, contacting porters for a wheelchair and informing the receiving department that he would be late.”

Georgina Morgan, Specialist Education Lead, Education, Queen Elizabeth Hospital

For Georgina’s exceptional leadership. Georgina has created a team culture that feels like a supportive family and consistently priorities her team’s wellbeing. She is committed to driving meaningful change, raising the profile of education across UHB. She is driven, confident and courageous, strengthens teams, develops people and improves systems.

Khudeja Sattar, Staff Counsellor, Workforce - Occupational Health, Queen Elizabeth Hospital

Nominated by a colleague, who said: “I lost my dad in December 2024 and four months later I was involved in a serious car accident, leaving me extremely depressed, afraid and anxious. I applied for UHB counselling sessions and this call changed my life. I was assigned to Khudeja and we clicked instantly. Khudeja put me at ease immediately, asking probing questions gently, which allowed me to open up about the pain of the loss of my lovely dad and the trauma of the car accident.”

Paul Johnson, Payroll Apprentice, Finance, Regent Court

Nominated by a colleague, who said: “As Paul reaches the end of his apprenticeship with Smart, his tutor nominated Paul for an internal award for learners and Paul was put forward for ‘Outside the box thinker award’, and we are pleased to say, he won. Colleagues have provided positive feedback and praised him highly.”

Donna Harrod, Recruitment Supervisor, Workforce – Talent, Heartlands Hospital

For support to colleagues and new starters. Donna’s willingness to take ownership of situations and resolve unexpected issues that arise is incredible. She is reliable and provides reassurance to colleagues.

Robert Millard, Resuscitation Practitioner, Education

For Robert’s fantastic work in setting up and driving forward the PACE critical appraisal project. Robert’s energy, organisation and determination have provided a clear structure for colleagues to work within, keeping everyone motivated, engaged, focused and enthusiastic about the project’s goals.

Central and South Genomics Team

Nominated by a colleague, who said: “The team has achieved a huge amount over the past five years. From training thousands of people to coordinating and supporting various research activity, we’ve embedded pathways across different trusts in the West Midlands and beyond, including UHB.”

Research and Innovation

Helen Langston, Senior Research Governance Coordinator, Rachael Burke, Research Governance Assistant and Jillian Maddams, Research Governance Coordinator, Research and Innovation, Queen Elizabeth Hospital

For the team’s approachability, willingness to assist with any query and the supportive way they guide colleagues through the governance process. The team is exceptionally knowledgeable and always quick, efficient and reliable when providing clear and accurate advice. Their strong communication skills and collaborative approach help keep the research process running smoothly and ensures colleagues feel informed and supported.

Charlotte Radovanovic, Programme Manager, AI and Digital Health Research and Policy Group, Research and Innovation, Queen Elizabeth Hospital

For exceptional strength, leadership and compassion. Charlotte has contributed to the growth of her team and has played a pivotal role in delivering nationally and internationally recognised programmes, managing an extensive and complex portfolio with clarity, kindness and positivity.

Women’s and Children’s

Kirsty Ferrara, Fetal Medicine Midwife, Obstetrics, Heartlands Hospital

Nominated by a patient, who said: “I was referred to fetal medicine due to concerns with my baby, and I was a little anxious at the time of my appointment. Kirsty completed my scan and was so thoughtful and kind, explaining everything all the way through. She was knowledgeable and reassuring and that made a big difference to how I felt in the process. She made sure we were happy with the plan before the end of the appointment and made sure we had a picture of our little one. She was professional throughout, and I can't thank her enough."

Louise McBeth, Registered Nurse, Special Care Baby Unit, Paediatrics, Good Hope Hospital

Nominated by a patient, who said: “During our son’s stay in the Special Care Baby Unit, Louise not only went above and beyond for our little boy, but she also supported me when I was struggling with breastfeeding and latching. She was always so encouraging and happy to have a chat to make sure me and my partner were happy with our son’s care. We are so grateful for the effort she made to ensure we felt as comfortable as we could and always made sure to keep us updated on all of our son’s care.”

Clinical Support Services

Clinical Computer Science Team, Medical Physics, Queen Elizabeth Hospital

Nominated by a colleague, who said: “In January, there was a suspected fire at the Wolfson building server room which meant that key services had to be redirected. This team manages Mosaiq, which is a crucial component of the clinical radiotherapy service. Radiotherapy treatments are not possible if Mosaiq becomes unavailable. The team managed the switchover to the back-up system in Swindon with minimal interruption of patient treatments and then managed to bring the service back from Swindon to the servers in the Wolfson building. All in all, this provided a live test of the service resilience of Mosaiq which has been developed over many years by this team, and it passed with flying colours.”

Picture Archiving and Communication System (PACS) Team, Radiology, Queen Elizabeth Hospital

For always being helpful and ready to support users of the imaging PACS and Clinical Record Interactive Search (CRIS) computer systems. The team are patient and kind and always aim to find resolutions to issues. They were resilient when system issues affected a number of IT systems and worked tirelessly to protect patient imaging by moving the backup servers as they tried to resolve the problems.

Eugene Leung, Clinical Pharmacist - Cancer Services, Pharmacy, Queen Elizabeth Hospital

Nominated by a colleague, who said: “Eugene joined the team three months ago and during his time he has supported community services on the Elmdon Unit by developing an excel programme that produces intermediate care Medication Administration Record (MAR) charts electronically. Eugene took ownership of this project and worked on it in his own time meticulously, whilst working in a demanding job.”