IT WAS celebrations all round as organisers announced the winners of the fourth annual Solihull Together Awards at an inspiring ceremony in the Renewal Conference Centre on Thursday (March 22).
Established in 2015, the Awards – proudly supported by The Solihull Observer – celebrate outstanding work by individuals and organisations from across the borough that support vulnerable and frail people in Solihull.
The ceremony itself was hosted by Rt Hon Jacqui Smith, former Home Secretary and current chair of University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust and interim chair at Heart if England NHS Foundation Trust.
Hundreds of finalists, winners and their supporters, were joined by associates and partners of the awards for coffee and cake and the fabulous ceremony itself.
The awards ceremony began with a surprise performance by the Birmingham and Solihull Wellbeing Community Choir.
The choir promotes and maintains good mental and physical health through singing and peer support.
It was a fitting start to the awards which celebrate the dedication of professionals who strive to bring about improvements in care for adults and the commitment and compassion of local people who are making a real difference in their own communities.
John Short, Chief Executive of Birmingham and Solihull Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust, said: “I was particularly pleased to see the high profile of mental health in this year’s awards, with not only staff and teams from our Trust recognised but also Solihull Mind, Aviary House and Aquarius.
“This shows how hard everyone is working to provide hope, recovery and opportunity to people with mental health issues in the borough.
“The other theme that came through strongly was that of effective partnership working in Solihull, which is essential in developing outstanding health and social care services for the benefit of our local population and reflects the fact that working together we can be bigger and stronger than the sum of our parts.”
Speaking after the awards, Nick Page, chief executive of Solihull Council and chair of the Solihull Together board, said: “Health and care organisations have a long and proud tradition of working together in Solihull to improve outcomes for our residents. To achieve our shared ambition of making the care and support we provide join up better as one system, we need to keep working together as organisations, professionals and local communities. That’s what Solihull Together is all about.
“It is a real privilege to meet 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 here in Solihull.”
The full list of categories and winners:
Care Professional of the Year: Jacquie Fisher, Senior Practitioner, SIAS Aquarius
Care Team of the Year: Solihull Early Intervention Service from Birmingham and Solihull Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust
Collaborative Working: Solihull Enhanced Personality Disorder Pathway (Birmingham and Solihull Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust) with Aviary House Supported Living
Health Professional of the Year: Kellie Owen, End of Life Care Practitioner, Heart of England NHS Foundation Trust
Inspiring Leader: Stephen Harrison, Children and Young People and Youth Service Manager, Birmingham and Solihull Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust
Local Hero (Joint winners)
*Peter Brown, Chair of Solihull Mind and Service User Governor for Birmingham and Solihull Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust
*Norma Todd, Solihull Visiting Service
Highly commended: Sajida Golby, North Solihull Additional Needs Group
Outstanding Community Project (Joint winners)
*Recovery College for All (Solihull branch), Birmingham and Solihull Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust
*Solihull Wheels for All
Outstanding Customer Care: Staff at Solihull Mind
Primary Care Service of the Year: Hobs Moat Medical Centre
Chair’s Award (Joint winners)
* Solihull Council’s Engage Team with St Bernard’s Residential Care Home and Tender Years Day Nursery
*Solihull Wheels for All
