An organisation within Wirral University NHS Foundation Trust has been shortlisted for a national award.

The Diversity and Inclusion Steering Group has been nominated for The Unsung Hero Awards - a national awards ceremony held every year at the Hilton Hotel on Deansgate in Manchester, commemorating the non-medical and non-clinical NHS Staff and Volunteers for all their hard work and achievements over the year in their roles.

Category awards recognise individuals or teams in departments such as IT & Digital, Estates & Ancillary, Admin & Clerical, and Individual awards include categories such as Special Mention Award and Volunteer of the Year. This year they have also introduced two new categories for 2020 which are the Disability Learning Champion and Leadership Award.

This year NHS staff were asked to nominate their Unsung Hero based on their exceptional work ethic, their drive for innovation, quality of interpersonal skills and outstanding achievements.

This year the Diversity and Inclusion Steering Group have proven their hard work and ability to go above and beyond in their role with one example being the Transgender, Intersex and Non-Binary Conference which included social care professionals, voluntary organisations and public sector bodies from across the region all raising awareness for the LGBTQ+ community which includes patients and staff. The Trust have also participated in community PRIDE events, recognising and promoting WUTH as an inclusive employer.

Another initiative was the ‘Living Library’ Event, where staff could meet in the library with staff members with protected characteristics such as disability, race, long term ill health and talk to them about their experience as an employee. This innovative approach involved taking a member of staff to an area of the library for a conversation, rather than a book off the shelf to read.

Their nominator described them as: "A multidisciplinary team who are fully committed and have no barriers to status position, often working on this agenda in their own time and have worked across a variety of sectors and organisations as a team."

The awards are open to the public and will feature a drinks reception followed by a three-course dinner, a keynote speaker, live entertainment and a raffle with some prestigious prizes including a signed Manchester City shirt and afternoon tea at the Hilton. Proceeds of this raffle are going to the Calderdale and Huddersfield NHS Foundation Trust charity.

The Unsung Hero Awards are also offering a buy one get one free deal with tickets to NHS staff until the 24th February.

www.unsungheroawards.com

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/2020-national-unsung-hero-awards-tickets-79186580193