Celebrating Calderdale’s NHS Heroes

The local provider of specialist NHS services in Calderdale has held a celebratory event to recognise members of staff who have been named an NHS Hero.

The NHS Heroes initiative was introduced by the former health secretary Andrew Lansley to recognise NHS staff who go the extra mile and to help mark 64 years of the NHS.

NHS Heroes was designed to give everyone in England the chance to acknowledge NHS staff, and for the first time, patients, their friends and families, work colleagues and professional peers could nominate their personal NHS Heroes.

To celebrate their heroes South West Yorkshire Partnership NHS Foundation Trust held a special event at Dean Clough Halifax with presentations made by the Trust’s Chair Ian Black.

Among the 56 individuals and teams recognised was the psychology department secretarial team at the Dale Unit at the Calderdale Royal Hospital. Nominated by a colleague they were described as “the first contact with patients whether on the phone or in person. They are always so kind and friendly to all. They never judge, and deal compassionately with patients who can be very distressed .They are the focus for our whole department, the rock for clinicians, without them our jobs would be so much harder.”

Nikki Widdup of the Upper Valley community mental health team, who was nominated for her efforts during the recent floods in Hebden Bridge where she made sure a vulnerable, housebound service user was safe and warm. After the event she also went on to help her get things cleaned up and back to normal.

Chief executive Steven Michael said, “NHS Heroes is a celebration of the very best in the NHS. We see day in day out the dedication our 4,700 staff give to the NHS to ensure the best quality care and experience for people who use our services. It was great to see a range of staff nominated from administration teams to those providing medical care- their dedication and commitment keeps the NHS running smoothly.”