Event gives our staff a chance to celebrate colleagues

Oxford University Hospitals staff came together on Monday for a shared sandwich lunch and a chance to celebrate nominated teams and individuals from our programme of Staff Recognition.

The Quarterly Recognition Event, held on 15 December 2025 in the George Pickering Education Centre at the John Radcliffe Hospital, acknowledged winners of Reporting Excellence, Quarterly Recognition and 30 + Years Long Service awards.

A team from Kamran's Ward was recognised for organising an Activity Day for patients, former patients and families to take part in activities and find out about support. Joanna Hall and Hollie Hemmings from the team were among the attendees.

"The families are so inspirational" Jo says, "they remember our names years later, it is humbling."

Hollie reflects that, with many children receiving treatment for the long term, the staff get to know the whole family. "I think I spend more time with them than I do at home," she says, "and we get as much out of the Activity Day as they do!"

Also at the event was Dr Amy Mitchell, Consultant Paediatric Oncologist, Lead for Aftercare / Late Effects. The team is 'amazingly lucky' she says, to see young people through cancer and beyond, those who recover and thrive. Around 85 percent of our paediatric cancer patients survive, so the focus is on the quality of that survival.

For Merete Olsen and Anthony Owusu, Paediatric Physiotherapists, it is all about motivating children who are recovering from cancer to play and return to normal activities. "It can be hard" they say, "but definitely rewarding".

Achsah Panicker, Liza Malcom, Soni Rai and Brenda Shanahan from the Lung Cancer Screening Service were rewarded for the extra help they have provided preparing results letters for patients and GPs. Lung Cancer Screening is a recent addition to our services, assessing smokers and former smokers for the risk of lung conditions.

Mostly a telephone service, patients were initially cautious to take part; but now, the team says, they have patients actively requesting to be screened. Awareness of the service has increased participation in this important work to catch potential problems early.

Attending from High Wycombe Renal Unit was Efil Paderanga, nominated by Deputy Sister Minimole Jacob. Minimole describes Efil as 'going above and beyond' and as 'a role model for our team'. Efil adds that it helps to have 'a very good team leader' in Minimole, a lovely example of how good relationships at work can make all the difference.

Receiving a Long Service award, Karen Taylor, Biomedical Scientist, talked about the need for reliable results and the provision of blood products to the hospitals. It is inevitable, she says, that patients and the public are less aware of Biomedical Scientists - who are among the hidden heroes of healthcare - but since leaving college, she has never wanted to do anything else.

Also receiving an award for Long Service was Joyce Krah, Senior Dental Nurse and Oral Health Promotion Lead, who began working for the Trust in 1987. "I'm as old as the furniture!" she says, "and I like dentistry - which isn't everyone's favourite place!"

A part of her role has been to help patients overcome their fears. Some people, she says, would 'rather give birth' than have dental work done. Helping them overcome these obstacles to receive the care they need is vital work indeed.

In total over 25 teams or individuals received framed certificates at the event, which were presented by the Chief Nursing Officer Yvonne Christley, Chief Digital and Information Officer Dr Ben Attwood and Douglas Graham, CEO of Oxford Hospitals Charity.

The number of recipients was testament to how many staff choose to recognise their colleagues in this way.

Among them, recognised for their work reconfiguring a ward in the Women's Centre, Noel Rice and Keith Price from OUH Estates - another team without which our hospitals could not deliver patient care.

OUH staff can also now nominate teams and individuals from across our services in our Annual Staff Recognition Awards - nominations are open until the end of the year - and patients and the public can make a nomination for the Patients' Choice Award.

We extend our thanks as always to Oxford Hospitals Charity, for their support in making this event happen, and for continuing to be a positive contributor to recognition at the Trust.

Pictured: Quarterly Recognition Award winners at the event.