Lead AHP support worker wins prestigious Advancing Healthcare Award

Lorraine, who works as a system lead AHP support worker for the Dudley Group NHS Foundation Trust, part of the Black Country Integrated Care Partnership, triumphed in the category of the awards that recognises outstanding achievement by an apprentice, support worker or non-registered technician in an AHP or healthcare science service.

As part of her role, Lorraine provides a voice to support workers within her Trust and helps them gain qualifications and skills to improve care and enhance their careers.

She has also been instrumental in the development and implementation of two, free training courses for support workers.

One of these, the Higher Development Award, is designed to help support workers develop ‘soft leadership skills’ and includes introductions to improvement/change projects, building working relations, communication, equality and diversity and maths and English refresher sessions.

While the other course leads to a certificate in the principles of management and leadership, builds on the learning in the first course and covers additional topics such as managing a team to deliver good results, developing and sharing good practice, and responding to conflict in the workplace.

Lorraine’s latest award win comes soon after she was also recognised in the national Celebrating Inspirational Allied Health Professions Support Workforce awards, where she picked up an award that celebrated her ‘outstanding leadership’ and work in providing training and career development.

Her work as a CSP activist, along with her career and leadership journey, was also the focus of a recent Frontline article

MSK physios reach the finals

Also, amongst the finalists at the awards were the MSK Partnership Group’s Amanda Hensman-Crooke, a consultant physiotherapist at Ambleside Health Centre, and Helen Welch, a consultant physiotherapist at Belfast Health and Social Care Trust. They were nominated and shortlisted for the Chroma AHP clinical leadership award.

During the awards ceremony, delegates also heard an inspiring speech from physio assistant and previous award winner, Gemma Hawtin, who had been invited back to speak at the event after an incredible double win in 2020, when she received the AHA Award for outstanding achievement by an apprentice, support worker or non-registered technician, and was also named the overall winner of the awards too.