Staff at Liverpool Community Health (LCH) NHS Trust were honoured for their hard work and achievements over the last year at the trust’s 5th annual Staff Awards ceremony.

Almost 300 staff and special guests attended the ‘Strictly LCH’ themed awards evening on Friday 13th June at the city’s Anglican Cathedral.

BBC Radio Merseyside presenter and community figure head Roger Phillips, led the celebrations which recognised the achievements of staff across a variety of award categories including the trust’s five organisation values: Care, Community, Courage, Collaboration and Commitment.

Selected from amongst 3,000 staff who work at LCH, a total of 15 Awards were presented during the night to exceptional individuals and teams.

Amongst those recognised during the evening were the Practice Nurse Development Team for Sefton and Liverpool who were named Team of the Year, and Sarah Gibson, Integrated Care Clinical Facilitator for Virtual Ward won the title of Employee of the Year for helping to pioneer this innovative, new service.

The Trust also gave a special tribute to its community volunteers, awarding Rob Otten, with the title of Volunteer of the Year for volunteering almost 500 hours to Liveability, a nurse-led service which supports older people to keep active and reduce the risk of falls.

The trust’s Deputy Chief Executive, Gary Andrews also honoured 23 members of staff, with the trust’s Long Service Award recognising their dedication in each providing over 40 years of service to the NHS.

Entertainment on the night included dance performances from Strictly Wheel’s Paula Molton and Gary Lyness who rose to prominence after reaching the live semi-finals of Britain’s Got Talent for their wheelchair ballroom dancing, and local dance company, Movema who fuse dance influences from around the world.

Commenting on the evening, Deputy Chief Executive of Liverpool Community Health, Gary Andrews, said:

“We are incredibly proud of our staff at LCH and the roles they provide in supporting patients and communities across Liverpool, Sefton and Knowsley.

“Despite the backdrop of an increasingly challenging NHS environment, our staff show great determination and commitment to their roles, and I’m delighted to be able to recognise some of their outstanding achievements across the past 12 months.”

The event was supported by sponsorship and contributions from a range of local businesses including: Splinter Design, Lush, CMP Entertainment, Ben Dunne Gyms, The Beatles Story, Filmology, Power League and The Custom Cupcake Company.

Awards and winners:

• Award for Care – Community Intermediate Care Team, Sefton
• Award for Community – Naamah Wilson, Smoking Cessation Support Worker
• Award for Courage – Bed Based Intermediate Care Service
• Award for Collaboration (two joint winners) – The Anticoagulation Service, Collette O’Loughlin, Out of Hospital Lead for North Liverpool & Sefton
• Award for Commitment – District Nursing Service
• Learner of the Year – Rebecca McLean & Laura Maclean, Physiotherapists
• Award for Creativity and Innovation – Community Equipment Nurse Specialists Team
• Employee of the Year – Sarah Gibson, Integrated Care Clinical Facilitator, Virtual Ward
• Leader of the Year – Veronica Bellis, Manager for Bed Based Intermediate Care
• Chair’s Award for Health and Well-being – Children’s Speech & Language Team
• Volunteer of the Year – Rob Otten, Liveability Service
• Award for Equality and Diversity – Beverley Nwosu, Community Matron & Chair of BME Network
• Award for Quality – Jo Nash, Clinical Nurse Manager
• Team of the Year – Practice Nurse Development Team for Sefton & Liverpool
• Members Choice Award, Rob Otten, Liveability Service