It was celebration time for HEFT staff as organisers announced the winners of the second Solihull Together for better lives awards at an inspiring ceremony.

The awards were created in 2015 to recognise and celebrate outstanding work by individuals and organisations in Solihull to support vulnerable and frail people in the borough.

The Rt Hon Jacqui Smith, Chairman of Heart of England NHS Foundation Trust, hosted the awards at the Renewal Conference Centre in Solihull. A packed crowd heard some inspiring stories of great care from organisations and individuals across the borough.

And for HEFT there was some great success with Solihull Hospital’s Care of the Elderly Team picking up the coveted Chairman’s Award, while the Enhanced Care Team at Solihull won the Dementia Friendly Service Award and the Trust’s therapy service’s partnership with Tudor Grange Leisure won in the Collaborative Working category.

Jacqueline Aldred, chair of the awards judging panel, commented: “It’s wonderful to see how the awards have grown since last year, with double the number of nominations this time. That certainly made the job of choosing the finalists and winners more challenging for the judging panel.”

Dr Patrick Brooke, Accountable Officer for Solihull Clinical Commissioning Group, representing the award organisers, said: “We hope that this year’s Solihull Together for better livesawards will continue to help raise awareness of the outstanding work which is going on across the public, private and voluntary sectors to support Solihull residents. Our aim for these awards is to showcase how we are working together to improve care and support in the borough.”

“It has been a real privilege to meet so many of the finalists and winners and hear their stories.  What they are doing, whether in a professional or voluntary capacity, to improve the quality of people’s lives, is amazing and inspiring. We have a lot to be proud of in Solihull.”

The full list of categories and winners is:

Care Professional of the Year (Joint Winners)

• Joanne Mackinnon, Welcome Charity
• Andy Warmington, Inclusive Sports Academy Community Interest Company

Health Professional of the Year

• Dr Reema Swarna, Associate Specialist Doctor, Birmingham & Solihull Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust

Care Team of the Year (Joint Winners)

• Aviary House, Home Group
• CREST (Community Rehabilitation Enablement & Support Team)

Primary Care Service of the Year

• ‘Next Steps – Living Well with Dementia’, run by the Memory Assessment Service, Birmingham & Solihull Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust

Award for Dementia-friendly Service

• Enhanced Care Team, Solihull Hospital

Award for Collaborative Working

• Collaborative Working for Solihull Rehabilitation Pathways

Award for Outstanding Project Delivered in the Community

• Gro-Organic Community Interest Company

Beyond the Call of Duty Award (Joint Winners)

• Becky McGann, Solihull Community Housing’s Wellbeing Service
• Emma Francis, Home Group

Award for Outstanding Customer Experience

• Solihull Connect

Award for Outstanding Neighbour

• Steve and Tina Hands

Chairman’s Award

• Care of the Elderly Team, Solihull Hospital

Visit www.solihulltogether.co.uk to read more about the winners and awards.