NHS staff from Wycombe were among the winners at an annual Buckinghamshire awards night.

Joanne Preston, Health Visitor from the Wycombe area, was among the victors at The Bucks Healthcare annual staff awards 2013.

She won the Outstanding Contribution Award in recognition of her work in her spare time, setting up the Dorcas Project to support vulnerable families by providing good quality second hand clothing and toys. The charity has grown over the years and the award acknowledges the help it has given families in the area.

The winner of the Volunteer of the Year Awards went to Carole Last, who volunteers for the Human Resources Team and the Day Surgery at Wycombe Hospital. She also helped the Patient Advice and Liaison Service set up the meet and greet service at Wycombe Hospital reception.

The winner of the Exceptional Contribution to Quality Award was the community diabetic nurse specialists team who set up a project to support people from ethnic minority groups living with diabetes in Buckinghamshire during Ramadan. They organised clinics with an interpreter to offer language support to those who spoke little English and provided patients with free education on safe fasting and also reviewed their medication during Ramadan.

The ceremony on September 30 at the Waterside Theatre, Aylesbury started with a performance from the Bucks Health Choir, made up of staff from the Trust and led by conductor Dr James Ross.

It ended with guest speaker Jamie Andrew OBE, who told how he had completed the London Marathon and been part of an all-disabled ascent of Kilimanjaro despite his hands and feet being amputated after a mountaineering accident.

Anne Eden, Chief Executive said: "It was a truly wonderful evening and fantastic way to celebrate some of the amazing staff that we have across our organisation.

"Despite some ups and downs over the past few years, I am incredibly proud of our staff who demonstrate that we provide excellent care for our patients and strive to continue improving and developing our services. It gave us an opportunity to focus on what we do well."

Staff were nominated by patients and their families or by their colleagues making them even more special.

The winners:

  • Healthcare Professional of the Year Award 1st - Dr. Helen Pegrum Palliative Care Physician
  • Healthcare Team of the Year Award 1st - Maternity Bereavement Team
  • Exceptional Contribution to Quality Award 1st - Community Diabetic Nurse Specialists
  • Outstanding Contribution Award 1st - Joanne Preston,
  • Health Visitor Team of the Year Award 1st - Wycombe Day Nursery Staff
  • Support Services Ambassador Award 1st - Carol Gyles Administrator Aylesbury Adult Community
  • Healthcare Team Volunteer of the Year Award 1st - Carole Last, HR, Surgical Day Unit, and Meet and Greet Service at Wycombe Hospital
  • Lifetime Achievement Award (jointly awarded) Professor Paul Kennedy - Department of Clinical Psychology Barbara Oxley - Medical HR Jean Mytom -
  • Patient Services / Bed Management Patient Choice Award Joint 1st - Ian Benson, Physiotherapist & Jill Mowforth, Lung Cancer CNS
  • Chief Executive’s Award - Evacuation Team from the fire on ward 4 at SMH in June 2013