Ashford & St Peter’s Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust has been shortlisted in two of the top categories at the 2015 Health Service Journal (HSJ) Awards – the Board Leadership Award, and Chief Executive of the Year (Suzanne Rankin).
The Health Service Journal (HSJ) Awards, is the largest celebration of excellence in UK healthcare, highlighting the most innovative and successful people and projects in the sector.
Chairman of the Trust, Aileen McLeish, comments: “To be shortlisted for two such prestigious awards is fantastic news and a testament to staff and colleagues right across our two hospitals. As Chairman I feel privileged to work with so many talented and committed individuals all of whom have one top priority – to provide the best possible and safest care for our patients. We are lucky to have a stable and committed leadership team, and I would like to say a personal thank you to colleagues across our hospitals for their unstinting hard work, the results of which speak for themselves today.”
The Trust has been shortlisted for the Board Leadership Award for the way it leads a culture of candour – openness and honesty – across the organisation, and particularly for continually seeking to involve patients and staff in decision making – ‘no decision about me without me’. Encouraging staff to speak out safely, to raise concerns and learn from incidents is a theme that has become firmly embedded within the organisation, with patient safety a top and absolute priority.
Chief Executive, Suzanne Rankin, adds: “Everyone here wants to do the very best they can for our patients every day, and being shortlisted for these awards is a fantastic recognition of the commitment and hard work from colleagues throughout our hospitals. Of course I am both proud and humbled to be shortlisted in the Chief Executive of the Year category, but this is very much a team effort and I would be unable to do my job without the continued support and commitment from colleagues both within the Trust and from our partners within the local health economy.”
The awards were created in 1981 to recognise, on a national platform, the projects and initiatives that deliver healthcare excellence and innovation. By shining a spotlight on cutting-edge innovations and best practice, the awards give impetus to improving the quality of health care in the UK.
This year, over 600 unique organisations submitted over 1600 entries. The shortlisted organisations will now complete presentations and interviews to a specific judging panel made up of senior and influential figures from the health sector*.
Alastair McLellan, Editor, HSJ, said: "The NHS is experiencing one of the toughest periods in its 67 year history, with demand and expectation rising and funding in short supply. The fact that the HSJ Awards has seen the biggest ever increase in entries shows the service remains undaunted in its mission to provide world beating patient care."
The Awards Ceremony will be held on 18th November at the Grosvenor House Hotel, London.