Southern Trust staff amongst the best in Northern Ireland
Allied Health Professionals from the Southern Health and Social Care Trust have been recognised amongst the best in Northern Ireland at the 2016 Advancing Healthcare Awards.
Allied Health Professionals (AHPs) is the name given to the group of professional health care staff distinct from nurses and doctors, who offer a range of diagnostic, technical, therapeutic and direct patient care and support services critical to patient care.
AHPs include physiotherapists, radiographers, speech and language therapists, occupational therapists and dietitians.
The Northern Ireland Advancing Healthcare Awards, now in their second year, recognise projects and professionals that lead innovative healthcare practice and make a real difference to patients’ lives.
The Macmillan Award for Rethinking the Patient Pathway and over all Award Winner at the prestigious event went to Craigavon Area Hospital Radiographers Janet Eagle and Helena Kincaid for their redesign of the diagnoses and treatment of fertility problems in women.
Dietitians were finalists in two categories: Head of Nutrition and Dietetics Mandy Gilmore and Community Dietitian, Elizabeth O’Connor for developing the ‘Health Call Under Nutrition Service’ which is a remote monitoring service for adults at risk of malnutrition in care homes, and Specialist Dietitians Vanessa McMinn and Wendy Murray for the X-PERT group patient education programme for people with Type 2 Diabetes.
Physiotherapist Cathy McKeown was recognised as a finalist for developing a Falls Pathway alongside Northern Ireland Ambulance Service colleagues. Elizabeth O’Connor Dietitian and Physiotherapist Annette Kearney alongside midwifery colleagues contributed to a Regional project ‘Weigh to a Healthy Pregnancy’ which was shortlisted.
Tara Davison, Peripetetic Assessor and Julie Mullen, Physiotherapy Support Worker, were finalists for their work in developing the AHP workforce.
Special Recognition as a ‘Rising Star’ was also given to Senior Occupational Therapist Melanie Sheenan who works at the Memory Centre helping people living with dementia.
Congratulating all the winners and finalists, Southern Trust Executive Director for Nursing and AHPs, Francis Rice, who also compered the awards event said, “In the Southern Trust our Allied Health Professionals play such a vital role in ensuring safe, high quality care.
“From diagnosis and assessment to delivering treatment right through to rehabilitation, they have a huge influence on the patient journey and have led the way in a number of innovative service developments.
She added, “It was an absolute honour to compere this year’s awards ceremony and I was particularly proud to have the calibre of our own AHPs recognised at such a prestigious event.”
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