Horton staff recognised for outstanding achievements

Staff from the Horton General Hospital swapped their scrubs for sequins on Wednesday 4 December 2019 at a special awards ceremony honouring their achievements over the last year.

The Staff Recognition Awards ceremony at Oxford Town Hall was attended by nearly 300 staff, volunteers, patients' families, and fundraisers. Winners and finalists were selected from each of the award categories, designed to celebrate the excellent contribution that they had made to patient care and working life at the Trust throughout 2019.

The ceremony - which was generously supported by Oxford Hospitals Charity - was hosted by BBC Oxford's Geraldine Peers. Winners and finalists were picked from over 1,500 nominations by a panel of staff and patients.

The winners included two staff from the Horton General Hospital.

Amanda Taylor, receptionist at the Horton's Emergency Department, won the Non-Clinical Support Worker of the Year award. Her nominator said Amanda has a never-failing commitment and compassion for patients, and the whole Emergency Department respect, admire, and appreciate the exceptional colleague she is.

Amanda said: "I'm totally overwhelmed - I didn't expect to win! This was such a fantastic event.

"I work with such lovely people, I enjoy my role, and I love helping anyone who comes into our department. We're there to care, and that's what it's all about."

Janine Beck, a midwife based at the Horton General Hospital, won the Nurse/Midwife of the Year award. Her nominator said that Janine is always available to her patients, even when she is on days off, and is incredibly open, honest, and practical. She was described as a 'lynchpin' of patient care.

Janine said: "It feels amazing to win this award. Our team supports pregnant women who may need a little more help throughout their pregnancy - it's very much a joint effort with my colleagues.

"The awards ceremony was a really lovely event and I was so pleased to be there."

Bex Ponen, Organisational Development Consultant at the Trust who organised the awards, said: "It's been a magical, inspiring event. It's given our staff a chance to pause and reflect on the fabulous work they do.

"People have a smile on their face for many months to come, and it gives a boost all-round to the nominees and their teams."

Professor Sir Jonathan Montgomery, Chair of the Trust, said: "I was blown away by our staff and their achievements at the awards. It's a privilege to work with them all."

For a full list of winners and photographs of the ceremony, please visit the awards web page.

Pictured: Chief Nursing Officer Sam Foster with Janine Beck.