Pennine Care people celebrated at their annual staff awards

Community psychiatric nurse Katie Tomlinson (second left) receives her award, pictured with Chizzy Akudolu, Evelyn Asante-Mensah OBE and Claire Molloy

NHS staff were recognised for their great work and dedication at the annual Pennine Care NHS Foundation Trust staff awards.

Held against the dramatic backdrop of Rochdale Town Hall’s Great Hall on 30 October the event was hosted by Chizzy Akudolu, of Holby City, with awards presented by Claire Molloy, Pennine Care’s chief executive, and Evelyn Asante-Mensah OBE, Pennine Care’s chair.

For the first time individuals were nominated alongside teams and the Community Choice category was introduced to give patients, their families and local groups the opportunity to nominate staff who make a real difference to their lives. The award was for someone who had gone above and beyond making services the best they can be and was kind, compassionate and fair.

Katie Tomlinson, a community psychiatric nurse in the Heywood, Middleton & Rochdale community mental health team, won the community choice category at the Pennine Care People awards for the care and compassion she shows her patients.

Katie was nominated by a patient on the Moorside ward (based at Birch Hill hospital) for the care she gave them when they were unwell. She started working on the ward whilst studying to become a mental health nurse and and continued working there after she qualified supporting her patients to recover and regain their independence.

Speaking about Katie, the patient that nominated her said: “Katie is amazing at her job, and she has so much care and compassion for anyone she meets. I have so much to thank Katie for, she was amazing on the ward. Katie deserves recognition for the outstanding support she provides, to both her patients and her colleagues.”

The other winners on the night were:

• Inclusion champion – The LGBTQ+ sub group
• Brilliant partnership – Bury pain psychological medicine team and the Bury Healthy Minds long term conditions team
• Great innovation – The Manchester Resilience Hub
• Improving lives – Dr Roshelle Ramkisson, consultant psychiatrist in Oldham
• Rising star – Louise Powell, organisational development administrator
• Inspirational leader – Lindsey Baucutt, operational manager on the Hope & Horizon units in Bury
• Colleague of the year – Carly Hartshorn, specialist speech and language therapist in Heywood, Middleton & Rochdale
• Team of the year – Bury Motor Neurone Disease team