The college is a key partner in the ‘Step into the NHS’ events – delivered in partnership with Sherwood Forest Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and Nottingham Trent University – which have been instrumental in recruiting learners from the local community into roles within the Trust.
The team behind ‘Step into the NHS’ received the prestigious Chair’s Award at the Trust’s 2024 Excellence Awards, held on Thursday 12 September at the John Fretwell Sporting Complex near Mansfield.
These annual awards shine a light on individuals, teams and community partners who go above and beyond for the Trust and this year saw more than 500 nominations for colleagues working in clinical and non-clinical roles across its King’s Mill, Newark, and Mansfield Community hospital sites.
The Chair’s Award acknowledges a person or team who truly deserves to be honoured for all they do for the organisation and was amongst 20 accolades on the evening across a range of categories.
The Trust’s Acting Chair, Graham Ward, and the previous Chair, Claire Ward, who is Mayor of the East Midlands, jointly presented the award to the team, which has built strong connections with local partners and education providers, helped drive up recruitment at the Trust and made the public aware that the NHS isn’t just made up of nurses and doctors.
Several ‘Step into the NHS’ events have taken place since January 2023, both at the college and at King’s Mill Hospital, with the next one taking place at the hospital on Tuesday 24 September from 6-7.30pm. In addition to meeting with staff from many hospital departments to learn about job roles and career opportunities, visitors can also find out about educational pathways by speaking to staff from the college’s health and social care, access to higher education, and adult and community education teams.
Nikki Slack, assistant principal for health, education and wellbeing at the college, said: “We are extremely proud to help deliver the Step into the NHS events, which support recruitment into the various roles available in our local hospitals and provide people with rewarding careers in the health service.
“Education and training are essential to ensure that individuals can access the right courses and qualifications to secure high-quality jobs that make a tangible difference to patient care, whether in clinical or non-clinical roles.
“On behalf of the college, I’d like to thank the Trust for this award, which is testament to what can be achieved through collaborative partnerships between the health and education sectors.”
Shana McCullagh, recruitment officer at Sherwood Forest Hospitals, said: “It’s really important that we show people that there’s so much more to working in the NHS than the frontline clinical roles that people usually associate with a hospital. It’s great to work with West Notts College and show the value of working with our partners.”
Dave Selwyn, acting chief executive at Sherwood Forest Hospitals, said: “The Excellence Awards is our way of saying thank you to the many colleagues who work selflessly throughout the year to ensure that our patients are looked after with the utmost care and respect. The winners and those shortlisted truly demonstrate the passion that our colleagues put into their roles every day.”