Two Bradford hospital workers are in line for top awards in recognition of their skills.
Consultant Rheumatologist at Bradford Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Philip Helliwell, is in the running for a prestigious lifetime achievement award.
Prof Helliwell, who is Professor of Clinical Rheumatology at the University of Leeds, has been nominated for a ‘Skills for Health Our Health Heroes’ award, following a distinguished career dedicated to advancing the understanding and treatment of psoriatic arthritis (PsA).
Psoriatic arthritis is a long-term condition that causes joint pain, swelling and stiffness, and as such can have a significant impact on sufferers’ quality of life.
Prof Helliwell’s decade-spanning achievements have left a lasting impact on patient care, with significant contributions to the development of outcome measures, screening tools, classification criteria and treatment guidelines. He is credited with transforming the management of PsA globally.
As the Chief Investigator of the ‘ClASsification criteria for Psoriatic Arthritis’ (CASPAR) study, Prof Helliwell led ground-breaking research that resulted in validated criteria for PsA diagnosis. Widely accepted internationally, these criteria have brought uniformity to patient selection in studies, ensuring better comparison of clinical outcomes and risk factors, ultimately improving patient care
His expertise is valued by his patients and has inspired the next generation of rheumatologists.
The Trust’s Chief Medical Officer, Ray Smith: “‘I am delighted to hear of Philip’s nomination for this prestigious award. He has been, and remains, a dedicated and outstanding researcher, teacher and clinician for many years.
“He is valued by colleagues and patients alike and is thoroughly deserving of this recognition.”
Meanwhile, IT apprentice Ben Martin has also been nominated in the awards. He is a finalist in the Apprentice of the Year category, having started his journey with the Trust six years ago via an initiative called DFN Project SEARCH.
DFN Project SEARCH provides young people with learning difficulties and autism the opportunity to gain valuable work experience.
Since the scheme’s inception at the Trust, many interns – after undergoing three work placements as part of the scheme – go on to secure paid work at the hospitals and throughout the district.
While enrolled on DFN Project SEARCH, Ben spent time working and gaining experience in various Informatics (digital) departments across the Trust, and soon became a recognisable voice on the end of the phone assisting staff with their everyday IT queries.
So successful was Ben’s introduction to life at Bradford that he was later offered the opportunity to embark upon an apprenticeship.
“Ben is a very popular member of the team and we soon realised what a great asset he was,” says Rachel Pyrah, General Manager for Informatics.
“The feedback we receive from colleagues who liaise with Ben is excellent. He is very compassionate and endeavours to help colleagues. He is now in a permanent role within our data quality team where his conscientious approach and eye for detail is proving, once again, to be invaluable to us and our service users.”
“His positive attitude and enthusiasm are infectious.”
Since completing his apprenticeship Ben has been approached by the Trust’s education department to become a Careers Ambassador.
This will see Ben visiting local schools and colleges to talk to students about his journey in the NHS with particular focus on his experience of completing his apprenticeship and how he has developed and overcome the difficulties he has faced with autism.
DFN Project SEARCH is now in its 11th year at the Trust and since its launch, more than 70% of Project SEARCH graduates gain jobs, while 60% achieve full-time permanent roles at the Trust.
Head of Equality, Diversity and Inclusion, Kez Hayat, explained: “Bradford Teaching Hospitals is very proud to be the hosting business partner for DFN Project SEARCH Bradford, which provides young people, like Ben, with the opportunity to gain meaningful work experience to increase their chances of securing paid employment.
“Project SEARCH provides three internships which offer students continual feedback on their performance and areas for learning and improvement. Interns carry out real jobs in real work environments. They also get the opportunity to thing about what job they would like to do, and we aim to match their interested and skills with work placements. They also get the chance to develop a career plan with our job coach and tutor.
“I’m delighted that Ben has been nominated for this – he is truly an amazing ambassador and gives our current interns hope that they too can go on to gain employment in business across the city and beyond.”
The Skills for Health Our Health Heroes Awards are sponsored by NHS England, NHS Employers, NHS Shared Business Services and more. Winners will be announced at a special ceremony held in London on 16 April.
Voting is now open for both Prof Helliwell and Ben.
Show your support for Professor Helliwell by casting your vote here: https://www.skillsforhealth.org.uk/awards/vote-outstanding
Please show your support for Ben by casting your vote here: https://www.skillsforhealth.org.uk/awards/vote-apprentice/