Shortlists announced for National Portering & Healthcare Cleaning Awards

The shortlists for both The National MyPorter Awards and The National MyCleaning Awards have today been announced, featuring 3 candidates for each of the twelve award categories across the two awards events – with this year seeing the awards in greater collaboration with NHS England. With just shy of 200 entries, this years’ awards are the biggest and most competitive yet in a celebration of those within Clinical Support Services – particularly Portering and Healthcare Cleaning. Live awards ceremonies in February taking place in central London across two days will see unsung heroes within healthcare have a spotlight shone on the great work they do. The first, The National MyPorter Awards, honouring the best in Portering for all the fantastic hard work and commitment they show, and then the second will see a day of celebrating the Healthcare Cleaners, Domestic teams and Auditors – for the fantastic work they do keeping patients safe by ensuring infections are kept to a minimum. Alongside the awards dinner, the first day will start with a live conference, with talks from NHS England and various Trust’s across the country, covering subjects such as Portering Standards and lobbies for recognised Portering Training and Qualifications. These will then followed up by a dedicated discussion panel with the floor. The next day will see talks NHS England Estates & Facilities’ Director & Head of Profession – Simon Corben, alongside other discussions by NHS England and AHCP-associated guests on the National Standard of Healthcare Cleanliness and Healthcare Cleaning training. A panel will then take questions from the floor. The shortlist for the six National MyPorter Awards categories are as follows – in no particular order: Newcomer of The Year Award – shortlist: Thanujan Theivanthiran - London North West University Healthcare NHS Trust Jack Teague - Royal Surrey County Hospital Deepak Depala - Chase Farm Hospital (Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust)

Leadership of The Year Award – shortlist: Zaheer Iqbal - Sandwell and West Birmingham NHS Trust Ryan Lindsay - Barnet Hospital (Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust) Sue Bolt – Hillingdon Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust Outstanding Contribution to Patient Experience Award – shortlist: Cameron Quinlan - Darent Valley Hospital (Dartford and Gravesham NHS Trust) Joshua Hawkins - Royal Berkshire NHS Foundation Trust Daniel Wheeler - City Hospitals Sunderland Commercial Enterprises Ltd (CHoICE) Portering Team of The Year Award – shortlist:

Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust Darent Valley Hospital (Dartford and Gravesham NHS Trust) Jemma and Danny Roscoe - Northamptonshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust Dennis Southern Lifetime Achievement Award – shortlist: Paul MacKay – University Hospitals Dorset NHS Foundation Trust Robbie Graham - Southport & Ormskirk Hospital NHS Trust Denise Starr - Stockport NHS Foundation Trust MyPorter Porter of The Year Award – shortlist: Brendon Bielby - Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust Victor Adeji - Chase Farm Hospital (Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust) Seamus McMahon - St George’s University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust The shortlist for the six National MyCleaning Awards categories are as follows – in no particular order: Newcomer of The Year Award – shortlist: Callum Lane - Southern Health NHS Foundation Trust Lisa Harry - Somerset NHS Foundation Trust Evelyn Barkley - Northamptonshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust

Leadership of The Year Award – shortlist: Matthew Taylor - Somerset NHS Foundation Trust Carol Birch - County Durham and Darlington NHS Trust Rachael Hutchinson - City Hospitals Sunderland Commercial Enterprises Ltd (CHoICE) MyAudit Auditor of The Year Award – shortlist: Elizabeth Sanders - St Helens & Knowsley Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust Tracy Boswell - Stockport NHS Foundation Trust Amanda Grundy - East Cheshire NHS Trust Healthcare Cleaning Team of The Year Award, sponsored by GT Cleaning Machines – shortlist:

Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust Royal Surrey NHS Foundation Trust Somerset Community – Somerset NHS Foundation Trust Lifetime Achievement Award, sponsored by Numatic – shortlist: Susan Robason - City Hospitals Sunderland Commercial Enterprises Ltd (CHoICE) Sue Benstead - Nottinghamshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust Doris Robinson - North Tyneside General Hospital – Northumbria Healthcare NHS Trust MyCleaning Domestic of The Year Award – shortlist: John Waites - County Durham and Darlington NHS Trust Geraldine Needham - Nottinghamshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust Micheal Mantle - Stockport NHS Foundation Trust Congratulations to all those who have been shortlisted – Good Luck at the live finals. For any questions or queries relating to The National MyPorter Awards or The National MyCleaning Awards, please contact:

gvhealthcare@globalviewsystems.co.uk

Or Visit:

https://www.myporterlogistics.com/myporter-awards https://www.mycleaningtasks.com/mycleaningawards

How digitalisation within Portering has increased Radiology throughput

Ever since the digitalisation of their portering system, Northampton General Hospital’s Radiology Department has seen remarkable improvements with patient throughput. Their move to digitalisation encourages better communication between the Portering and Radiology team, leading to closer collaboration between departments and overall better patient care.

Paul Barritt, Security & Portering Manager said: “It’s not just a case of ‘This is the product, there you go – just try your best and apply it to what you’ve got’ - it really can be adjusted to how your Trust is, in terms of the layout, the specialities that you’ve got, it’s a really great system that we enjoy using”, adding: “The figures that we have around are about 10-12% increase in patient flow through the portering department’s patient transfers.”

“The biggest impact MyPorter has had on Northampton General Hospital is on the Radiology Department. We’re moving a lot more patients through CTs, MRIs” Chris Hurved, Portering Co-Ordinator added.

Joshua Combs, Deputy Superintendent Radiographer said: “after three weeks, we had an 8.6% increase in throughput throughout X-rays.”

To talk to a member of the team about arranging a visit to Northampton General Hospital, please email myporter@globalviewsystems.co.uk

For more information about MyPorter, please visit www.myporterlogistics.com

Tyneside and Wearside united by national award, as MyPorter Awards relaunched.

The MyPorter Awards are now live and open for nominations once again – and this year were relaunched in special circumstances with the meeting of two people whose connection to one award in particular made for an emotional afternoon. The black and white of Newcastle and the red and white of Sunderland are often seen as great rivals, with usually no love lost between the two – that is until a joyous meeting between two souls with common interests, brought together by a national award and the loss of their beloved spouses. When Keith Bellfield of Sunderland Royal Hospital was nominated for the ‘Dennis Southern Award – For Endeavour’ at the last annual MyPorter Awards, a national awards celebrating the best of the best in NHS Portering Services, judges could not help but be extremely impressed. Keith showed everything that a worthy winner should and more: Sadly, Keith’s wife Angela (who also worked at Sunderland Royal Hospital) passed away from lung cancer, leaving him to have to make the difficult decision between keeping his much-loved portering job which he has been in for 35 years, and the time needed to care for his son Christopher, who has special needs. The award which Keith won is named after Dennis Southern – a well-known and well-loved porter at Northumbria Specialist Emergency Care Hospital, who sadly lost his battle with a rare cancer in 2021, just two weeks before he was nominated for the MyPorter Award 2020/21. He was nominated due to the fantastic work he did there as a porter, always putting the patient first despite his own personal battles with illness. That is when judges chose to honour Dennis by creating a new award category in his name for the 2021/22 event. An awards ceremony took place in February 2022 in central London, but unfortunately neither Keith or Dennis Southern’s widow Jan could make the event, so GV Healthcare who run the MyPorter Awards decided to arrange a private event with special lunch for the pair and their sons; Barry accompanying Jan, and Christopher accompanying Keith. This allowed Jan Southern the opportunity to meet the man who is the first ever winner of the award named in her late husband’s honour; an emotional heart-warming encounter which fetched moving moments that brought a tear to Jan’s eye. Jan said: “It was really nice to meet Keith – having heard why he was nominated and about the personal loss he has also suffered, I believe he is a very worthy winner of an award named in my late-husband’s honour. Keith is very deserving of this award and I’m proud to have been part of this occasion. It’s been a lovely day and has felt really special, like two old friends meeting and chatting over mutual experiences we share”. Matt Wright, CEO at GV Healthcare said: “We were sad that neither Jan or Keith could make the MyPorter Awards ceremony, but were delighted to be able to unite Tyneside and Wearside with a nice meal at a private event – we hope it felt as special to them as they deserve. Our HQ is based in Hull and with us being based in a city that is also split between the black and whites and the red and whites too (albeit with a different shaped ball), we know rivalry can be passionate, but the love for portering, the NHS and their loved ones shone through – sometimes sporting discord is put into perspective and events like this show life is precious and moments like this matter”.

Keith’s nomination for the award from his management praised him by saying they know many who would have chosen to give up the role and take on full-time caring responsibilities, but Keith chose to ask to take on a new role, switching to being a waste porter, allowing him the flexibility to remain in a role within the portering service, while also giving him the necessary time to look after Christopher. Although it was a different role and working with a different group of colleagues, Keith quickly adapted and built up a huge knowledge of waste regulations and the segregation demands of the health sector. Keith also looked at the processes in the department with a fresh pair of eyes and was integral in suggesting improvement to the ways of working, benefitting both the service and the waste team. Keith was also praised for taking others under his wing and mentoring them – someone who goes about his job, never complaining, always greeting co-workers, patients and staff with a smile. One of the friendliest people his colleagues know, he’s known as a walking encyclopedia of portering knowledge, passing on his wisdom, and often seen assisting others with their tasks alongside his own. Back in winter he was even spotted by staff out in a snowy blizzard, helping a contractor load waste bins onto a lorry to ensure the driver wasn’t delayed by the conditions. Keith’s efforts not only benefit the entire department, but they also set an example and inspire his co-workers to stay proactive. Despite the overwhelming amount of work that everyone has had to do and the impact of the ongoing pandemic and Keith’s personal circumstances, he consistently finds ways to help his co-workers and other departments. His willingness to assist others and his commitment to educating and supporting new staff is unequalled. Keith’s Manager Mark Turner said: “I have worked with Keith for over 22 years from when I first joined the NHS as a Porter. From day one Keith was friendly and welcoming and always on hand to answer any questions I had about my new role. With him having a vast knowledge of the Portering role I was able to learn from him some of the more technical tasks of the role such as the handling and changing of medical gasses and the distribution of pharmacy. As my career progressed and I became Keith's Supervisor and eventually his manager, he couldn't have been more encouraging and supportive to me in my new roles. Keith is an outstanding employee and a credit to my team and the organisation" If you know somebody within your hospital portering teams who you think reminds you of Keith, the nominations are now open for The Dennis Southern – Lifetime Achievement Award - For Endeavour, along with the five other categories, including the MyPorter Porter of the Year Award and the Portering Team of The Year award. Know someone deserving of this highest recognition? You can nominate now at: https://www.myporterlogistics.com/