STAR Awards Ceremony 2024

On Wednesday 24 April 2024, we held our 5th Annual STAR Awards ceremony. 

The event continues to grow, and this year we’ve received the highest number of nominations ever, 72 in total, 55 of which were eligible for the 2nd stage and considered by our judging panel. The quality of nominations we receive, continues to improve every year and the commitment demonstrated by services, staff and volunteers to care for local people is very humbling and just blows us away. 

The day was all about demonstrating how local services are responding to the needs of those they support. This has not only improved experiences for local people but increased the quality of services they receive.

It’s been great to see so many innovative ways of working, gaps in support identified and filled, as well as some fantastic examples of collaborative approaches. This highlights that in many cases, providers have acknowledged that it’s beneficial to utilise a range of strengths, skills and knowledge from different deliverers, for those requiring a more holistic approach to improve outcomes.

It's also been great to see more care nominations this year, which allows us to celebrate and acknowledge the amazing support that is delivered in this sector across South Tees.

The event was closed by the fantastic choir 'North East Opera'  who began life as part of the multi-award-winning arts company Streetwise Opera established in 2002. Due to the pandemic, after 15 years, Streetwise Opera had to end its funding in the Northeast. Not deterred by this set back, the Middlesbrough groups are still going strong whilst continuing to provide weekly workshops for its members. The group reformed and became North East Opera and got their charitable status in January 2023.  Based at Middlesbrough Town Hall, NEO run weekly workshops there and at the Methodist Asylum Project MAP Middlesbrough as well as the Middlesbrough Town Hall Community Choir weekly rehearsals.

Please see below for all category nominees, those shortlisted and the winners: 

Care and Compassion Award: celebrates those who demonstrate a responsive, flexible, kind and respectful approach in the support offered within a health or care service. 

• Adrienn Petreczky, Neurology, South Tees Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
• Hayley Carroll and Christopher Herring, Enhanced Health in Care Homes, TEWV NHS Trust.
• Front of Counter Staff, New Marske Pharmacy.
• Inflammatory Bowel Disease Nurses, South Tees Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust.
• Joanne Arnold, South Tees Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust.
• Kirsty Gillespie, HR Assistant, Teesside Hospice. 
• Laura Flint, Physiotherapist, South Tees Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust.
• Lisa Davison, STRIVE.
• Louise Wylie, Midwife, South Tees Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust.
• Mark Culley, Manager, Hornby Healthcare.
• Michelle Watson, Service Manager, Community Collaborative Leadership Team, South Tees Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust. 
• Niki Watson, Community Reablement Team, RCBC.
• Patricia Seale, Nurse, Teesside Hospice.
• Roshanne Sutton, Care Assistant, Meadowvale Homecare.
• Ruth Hebden, Activities Coordinator, Marske Hall, Valorum Care
• Shaunna Ingram, Care Assistant, Support Solution
• Victoria Reyer, District Nurse, Greater Middlesbrough PCN

Shortlisted:

• Annette Jeffries, Health Care Assistant, Fountains Court Care Home, Maven HealthCare.
• Emma Taylor, Nurse Practitioner, Westbourne Medical Centre

Winner:

• Dr Francesca Hood, GP Bentley Medical Practice

Excelling in Support to Others Award: recognises people who have changed the way care is given by being creative or filling a gap in support as a result of responding to feedback from service users, relatives and staff to enhance experiences. 

• Christina Hartley, Transfer of Care Service, South Tees Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
• Harriet Roberts and Cheryl Stephenson, Occupational Therapists, Middlesbrough Council
• Marske Hall Care Staff, Marske Hall, Valorum Care 
• Sally Cook, Key Trainer, South Tees Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust

Shortlisted:

• Ashley Smallwood, Team Leader, Reach & Respond, Beyond Housing 
• Julie Hall, Cancer Care Coordinator, South Tees Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust

Winner:

• Sue Sargeant, Clinical Lead for STOMP, TEWV NHS Trust

Making a Difference Award: celebrates people who volunteer their time within a health or care service, offering care and support to make a positive difference to people in our community.

• Derek Philips, Teesside Hospice Care Foundation
• Maggie Heaton, Meadowvale Homecare

Shortlisted:

• Boro Angels
• Teesside Hospice Coffee Shop Volunteers, Teesside Hospice Care Foundation

Winner:

• Julia Frost, Quality and Training Partner, South Tees Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust

Valued Service Award: celebrates a valued health or care service in the community.

• Age UK Teesside
• James Cook Medicine Physiotherapy Team, South Tees Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
• Meadowvale Homecare
• Rheumatology OPD Day Unit, South Tees NHS Foundation Trust
• RCBC Social Prescribing Team
• Stoma Team, South Tees Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
• Teesside Hospice
• Ward 7 Sisters & Staff, South Tees Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
• Woodside Wellbeing & Dementia Hub

Shortlisted:

• Carers Together 
• Reach & Respond, Beyond Housing

Winner:

• Diabetic Eye Screening Programme, South Tees NHS Foundation Trust

Leading the Way for Change Award: celebrates services who have identified and filled a gap that has had a positive impact on those they support. 

• Amanda Chalmers, Public Health South Tees
• Andrea McLoughlin, Suicide Prevention, Middlesbrough Council
• Enhancing Physical Health Team, TEWV NHS Trust
• Reach & Respond, Beyond Housing

Shortlisted:

• Sarah Winspear & Laura Paterson, RCBC & South Tees Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
• The Home First Team (Tees Community), South Tees Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust

Winner:

• Tees Valley Targeted Lung Health Check (TLHC) Programme, South Tees Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust

Community Innovator Award: recognises services that have developed new ways of working to better meet the needs of the communities they support.

• Sandbanks Care Team, Sandbanks Care Centre
• South Tees Single Point of Access
• Thrive Partnership

Winner:

• South Tees Specialist Stop Smoking Service, Middlesbrough Council

Special Recognition Awards

The standard of all of this year’s nominations, was unbelievable, so whilst we were judging, the panel agreed that there were a couple of them that we wanted to recognise with a special award. These are nominees that maybe didn’t win their category but might have been close or have made such a difference to the people they support that we wanted to celebrate and shine a light on what both of them have achieved across South Tees. 

1^st Award

The first award is for a team, developed in 2019, based at James Cook University Hospital.

They provide care and psychological support for new and existing patients that have had to adapt to a new way of life and substantial body image changes. 

The team, consisting of 4 staff members work throughout the Trust reviewing inpatients and counselling outpatients pre-operatively and also trouble shoot complications of those patients that have been discharged. This has ensured patients learn a new way of living with such a huge change quickly and in turn the length of hospital stay is reduced and the experience of these patients has improved substantially resulting in extremely positive outcomes.

The Special Recognition Award goes to – STOMA Team, South Tees Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust

2nd Award

The second award is for two ladies, one from secondary care and the other from Redcar & Cleveland local authority who developed a much-needed clinic in our area. 

Previously, babies identified with this particular condition were referred to clinics in Newcastle, Sunderland and Darlington which often meant lengthy delays in treatment.  Whilst undergoing training these two ladies submitted a business plan to South Tees Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust to collaboratively set up a specialist clinic, whereby two assessments would be completed at the same time. If treatment was required, it would be offered and completed there and then.

Their first clinic held in January this year at James Cook Hospital was fully booked which demonstrates how much this service is needed. The setting up of this service, has provided a locally accessible solution, from referral to completion, in a timely manner therefore improving outcomes for both mothers and their babies.

The 2nd Special Recognition Award goes to – Sarah Winspear & Laura Paterson, Tongue-tied Service, South Tees Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust