Luton and Bedfordshire NHS staff recognised at awards ceremony

The staff awards are an annual event held to recognise the contribution of NHS staff working across Luton, Bedfordshire and East London.

The Trust was rated as 'outstanding' by the Care Quality commission in 2016 and 2018.

Trust CEO Dr Navina Evans CBE took to the stage to thank staff for their dedication, and for putting ‘kindness, dignity and respect’ for one another and the people they serve at the heart of all they do.

It was also the moment chosen to launch the #ELFTPromise to reaffirm the trust’s goals, values and vision.

Dr Paul Gilluley, Trust Chief Medical Officer, said: “This is a pledge to service users and other organisations which they can use to hold us to account."

The winners in Luton and Bedfordshire were:

> Improving Patient Experience - Niki Scott, Service User Participation Lead for Bedfordshire and Luton CAMHS (Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services). Niki was described as an innovator who puts the voice of the service user at the centre of their care. She was also praised for leading on a range of projects, including the launch of an innovative podcast involving ELFT staff and young service users.

> Improving Staff Experience - the Single Point of Access Team for Bedfordshire Community Health Services. Their citation said: “For many members of the public, they are the first contact with the Trust, so a warm first impression is vital. They are the voices at the other end of the line that have reached 120,000 people in just one year. The time has come for the team to come into the spotlight.”

> Star of the Future Award - Luke Daly, Life Skills Recovery Worker, the Lighthouse, Leighton Buzzard. The awards audience were told: “This is someone whose boundless energy and

compassion is really valued by the whole team. He is shortly to leave ELFT as he has applied to train as a Mental Health Nurse at university - a role he is absolutely gifted to become.”

> Commissioners Award - Sue Hollingsworth, Kirsty Sharp and Tendayi Guzha from the Bedfordshire CAMHS Parent Emotional Wellbeing Programme Team. Their citation said: “These colleagues are passionate, creative, hard-working and committed clinicians who are improving population health for young people in Bedfordshire. They have worked in their own time to design an emotional wellbeing programme open to all parents and professionals in Bedfordshire."

> The Chair’s ‘Behind the Scenes Award’, Victoria Stone, Louise Hughes and Sarah Denmead, Team Leads for the South Bedfordshire ‘Primary Care at Home’ team, Bedfordshire Community Health Services. Their citation stated: “These three team leads work tirelessly together to ensure their staff are supported and valued. They are innovative, courageous and work to each other's strengths in order to achieve the best outcomes for patients and staff.”