Sherwood Forest Hospitals Excellence Awards 2025

A recently retired midwife who helped more than 300 families to quit smoking during pregnancy won the prestigious Lifetime Achievement Award at Sherwood Forest Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust’s annual Excellence Awards.

Claire Allison, who has dedicated her working life to nursing and midwifery, retired from her role as Tobacco Dependency Maternity Lead for the Phoenix Team in May. 

Claire established the team, which supports parents-to-be to stop smoking, in 2021 and succeeded in making it the gold standard of services for the country. Her work has been published in the British Journal of Midwifery, the European Journal of Marketing, and it features in the NHS Saving Babies Lives Care Bundle - national guidance to make maternity care safer and more personal.

Described by her colleagues as someone who acts with the greatest humility and kindness, Claire put her heart and soul into her work at SFH and leaves behind a powerful legacy of leadership, compassion, innovation and excellence in care.

Claire Allison said: “Winning this award is the icing on the cake to celebrate the work that the Phoenix team has done over the last four years in increasing safety for babies and improving the lives of our families. It’s so overwhelming when people you work with every day single you out to say thank you – I really wasn’t expecting it!”

Voted for by members of the public, The People’s Award was presented to the Day Case Unit. The team received exceptional feedback and was described as providing ‘not just care, but love’, after going above and beyond to ensure that a couple (who had not spent a night apart in 52 years) could stay together on New Year’s Eve whilst one of them was in hospital. The team was commended for their unwavering compassion and dedication towards their patients.

Nicola Wallace, Deputy Ward Sister, said: “I’m so proud of our team and achievements. We are like one big, happy family and we aim to provide outstanding care to all our patients.”

Chaplain Rodney Warden, a treasured member of the SFH family, was this year’s winner of the Chair’s Award. Personally chosen by Trust Chair, Graham Ward, the award recognises a person or team whose commitment and contributions to the Trust merits the highest appreciation and respect.

Rodney was chosen for providing compassionate spiritual and pastoral care to patients, families, and staff. He was described as a true embodiment of the Trust’s CARE values and known for his calm, steady presence and close work with bereavement midwives and Early Pregnancy Unit.

Families often ask for Rodney by name, finding comfort and strength during unimaginable loss, while colleagues feel supported the moment they arrive on the ward. His impact is lasting and deeply felt by all.

After receiving a lengthy standing ovation from the audience, Rodney said: “I am very humbled. I thought I knew who all the winners would be but I failed miserably with my predictions and was quite shocked when my name was announced. The things I do are a result of something that happened to me – this is a reward to say well done from God.”

The Paul Robinson CARE Award, a new award named in memory of former Trust Chief Executive Paul Robinson, who sadly passed away earlier this year, is awarded to a colleague who has demonstrated their dedication to the Trust’s CARE values.

Jade Harrison, Cancer Support Worker, was chosen for her unwavering commitment to patient care and excellence in healthcare, with her name regularly appearing in feedback from patients. Jade goes above and beyond daily and a recent example of this was the comfort, stability and strength she offered to a patient during a deeply distressing time. Jade’s compassionate presence and clear, honest communication was noted from the very first consultation, and she was specifically named by the patient, who explained that Jade’s empathy and professionalism helped them to navigate such a sensitive journey.

Jade said: “I adore my job and it gives me huge satisfaction that I can make a difference when patients are going through the worst journey of their life. To be awarded with this is one of the most amazing things to ever happen to me. I see my patients as my family.”

Other notable winners include the Daffodil Café Volunteers who won the Volunteer of the Year Award, and the Amazon Breast Cancer Support Group, who have raised £300,000 to support breast cancer care at King’s Mill Hospital over many years, took home the Community Hero Award.

David Selwyn, Acting Chief Executive at Sherwood Forest Hospitals, said: “The Excellence Awards are our way of saying thank you to the many colleagues who work selflessly throughout the year. Whether a winner or a nominee, these are the colleagues who ensure that our patients are looked after with the utmost care, respect, and dignity.

“I look forward to the Excellence Awards each year, as they never fail to bring forward stories filled with emotion and dedication, and it is always a deeply humbling experience to be part of those moments and celebrate the incredible contributions of our colleagues.

“I am especially grateful that this year we have been able to reflect on the lasting impact of our late CEO, Paul Robinson, on the Trust. It was a true honour to present the winner of the Paul Robinson Award to an individual who wholeheartedly lives and demonstrates the CARE values that Paul held so close to his heart.

“This year was tinged with sadness, as this was my last time attending and presenting these awards before I leave SFH in November. I would like to say a heartful thank you to all SFH colleagues for being brilliant, for being kind, and for being yourselves. I will always carry with me the memories and moments that we have shared.”

The awards evening took place at the One Call Stadium in Mansfield, home of Mansfield Town Football Club. It was funded entirely by donations and support from the Sherwood Forest Hospitals Charity, corporate sponsors Managed Healthcare, Datix, the Radford Foundation and Mills & Reeve.

The ceremony, which saw 21 awards presented, started with a video message to nominees from Kimberley Jade Arnold, who was one of the first patients to be supported by the Phoenix Team. You can view the video on the Trust’s YouTube.

 

The full list of winners:

• Multidisciplinary Team of the Year – Lower GI Improvement Team ‘Bottoms up’ project
• Most Improved Team – Orthogeriatric Liaison Team
• The Chris McFarlane Award – Sidra Kalsoom, Biomedical Scientist in Histopathology
• Rising Star Award – Irvine Makani, Lead Nurse, Emergency Department
• Non-Clinical Team of the Year – Emergency Department Reception
• Non-Clinical Individual of the Year – Holly Baxter, Paralegal, Legal Services Team
• Nursing, Midwifery & AHP Team – Neurological Outpatients and Sherwood Rehabilitation Team
• Nursing, Midwifery & AHP Individual – Jade Smithson, Pneumonia Service Nurse, Respiratory
• Doctor and Consultant Team – Gastroenterology Consultant and Lead Nurse Endoscopists, Emergency Department and Urgent Treatment Centre
• Doctor and Consultant Individual – Dr Ahmed Bakeer, Consultant, Emergency Department
• Specialist Healthcare Team – Sexual Health Services
• Specialist Healthcare Individual – David Cunningham, Assistant Practitioner, Radiology
• Outstanding contributions to Equality, Diversity and Inclusion - Keela Darby Ward Sister, Surgical Assessment Unit and Surgical Same Day Emergency Care Unit
• Exceptional Contributions to Sustainability – Urgent and Emergency Care Green Initiatives Scheme
• Volunteer of the Year – Daffodil Café Volunteers
• Lifetime Achievement Award – Claire Allison, Tobacco Dependency Maternity Lead for the Phoenix Team
• Community Hero – Amazon Breast Cancer Support Group
• Community Partner of the Year – OPUS Music
• The Paul Robinson CARE Award – Jade Harrison, Cancer Support Worker
• The Chair Award – Rodney Warden, Chaplain
• The People's Award – Day Case Unit