Greater Manchester's health care heroes to be recognised

It's the first ever Greater Manchester Health and Care Champion Awards.

Author: Victoria GloverPublished 1st Jun 2018

The shortlist has now been announced for the first ever Greater Manchester Health and Care Champion Awards, following hundreds of nominations.

33 champions have been shortlisted from almost 400 entries completed by patients, colleagues and the general public from across Greater Manchester. They include: a GP, a social worker, nurses, carers, volunteers, a support group for fathers and many more.

The Greater Manchester Health and Care Champion Awards 2018 are the first in the city-region to recognise members of our paid and unpaid health and care workforce who regularly go above and beyond to improve the health and wellbeing of the people of Greater Manchester.

The awards are organised by Greater Manchester Health and Social Care Partnership, the body that oversees the area’s £6bn devolved health and social care budget, with support from the Mayor of Greater Manchester, Andy Burnham.

Award categories include ‘Outstanding Carer’, ‘Apprentice of the Year’, ‘Dedication to volunteering’ and the ‘People’s Champion’.

All nominations will be considered by a judging panel and the winners announced at a sponsored event in July.

We will be sharing some of the stories of these outstanding champions over the coming weeks.

Jon Rouse, Chief Officer of Greater Manchester Health and Social Care Partnership said:

“I would like to congratulate every single individual and team that has been nominated for an award. Just to be nominated is a real achievement in itself and is recognition of the difference these people are making in their communities.

“The Champion Awards were introduced to give our health and care workforce the recognition they deserve for going above and beyond, and the number of nominees received demonstrates the wide range of brilliant work taking place across Greater Manchester.

“I would also like to congratulate the 33 outstanding nominees who have been shortlisted. We received so many impressive nominations, making the task of shortlisting extremely difficult for our panel. I would like to wish all 33 nominees the best of luck ahead of the ceremony in July.”

Mayor of Greater Manchester, Andy Burnham said: “I am really pleased with the way the people of Greater Manchester have embraced this opportunity to recognise the people who work around the clock to keep our communities well.

“It is fantastic to see such a variation represented in our shortlist. From GPs and nurses to father support groups and home carers - they all play a vital role in improving the health and wellbeing of our communities. I look forward to meeting all of our outstanding shortlisted nominees at the ceremony in July."