‘Fantastic’ Health And Social Care Staff Are Rewarded

Giving people the skills and confidence to get a job in health and social care has come up trumps in an annual NHS awards ceremony. The Employability Project – a partnership between Bradford District Care Trust, Job Centre Plus and Yorkshire Forward – aims to help people from black and ethnic minority communities, people with learning disabilities and those with mental health problems to get into work.

Project manager Lorraine Thacker picked up a cheque for £4,000 as the project scooped first prize in the Care Trust’s fourth annual Spotlight Awards held at the Hilton Hotel, Bradford.

In second place and winning £3,000 was TRACKS (Trust, Respect, Achievement, Confidence, Know-ledge and Safety) a joint project between the Trust’s Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services, Education Bradford and Connexions West Yorkshire.

Aimed at 13 to 16-year-olds who struggle to attend school due to chronic anxiety, poor self esteem and emotional difficulties, TRACKS is designed to improve attendance, increase self confidence and improve and increase social skills.

A third prize of £2,000 was awarded to Airedale mental health service development where the close involvement of staff and service users as part of a design steering group will mean the new purpose-built unit at Airedale Hospital will be designed with the users’ input.

Two £500 prizes were awarded to a project aimed at delivering race equality into City Community Health Team and the partnership with a primary care trust and private provider to deliver non-clinical support to Eccleshill NHS Treatment Centre.

The other shortlisted schemes which received a certificate during the celebrations were Cobbydalers, a group that meets in Silsden, the introduction of a microfibre cleaning system and a bereavement group for people with learning disabilities.

The Spotlight Awards, sponsored by Bradford-based Sovereign Healthcare, recognise, reward and celebrate staff who have delivered excellent care in mental health and learning disability services.

Winners had to show that they have made a real difference in providing services, that they would make imaginative and effective use of the award money, that their project fits in with the Trust’s objectives and that it can be applied elsewhere in the organisation.

“This is a celebration of the fantastic work which is carried out across the Trust on a day to day basis,” said Trust chairman John Chuter.

“Important partnerships are forged across the district and staff work in new and innovative ways in order to deliver the quality of services people deserve.”