NHS organisations and their staff have been recognised at a prestigious awards ceremony for their work supporting ex-armed forces personnel and their families into careers in the NHS.
At a special ceremony on 10 March, the first Step into Health awards celebrated the achievements of NHS employers and staff who have taken part in the Step into Health programme. The programme is run by NHS Employers with support from the Royal Foundation and Walking with the Wounded, offering a route into employment and other career development opportunities in the NHS to the armed forces community.
Joshua Ryder, a trainee nursing associate at Midlands Partnership NHS Foundation Trust, won the award for outstanding impact since joining the NHS. A former combat medical technician, he has taken the time to speak to serving and retiring members of the armed forces to encourage them to apply for a role in the NHS, sharing his experiences at the trust and his journey so far.
He said: “I love my job role and have made many friends within my career so far. I truly believe that the Step into Health programme saved me at a period of uncertainty and alongside the positive feedback I have received from other professionals, and the faith they have shown in me is unbelievable. I am so grateful.”
Kim Nurse, who is the executive director of workforce and organisational development at West Midlands Ambulance Service University NHS Foundation Trust and is also married to a member of the military, won the award for NHS advocate for the programme.
Kim, who is also military board champion at the trust, led a review of the whole Step into Health process. She initiated new recruitment practices that rooted Step into Health into all recruitment campaigns, raising the programme’s profile both within the trust and outside it.
Award winner Josh Ryder
She said: “The values and ethos of military personnel are innately similar to those staff working within complex NHS organisations. Having almost 40 years’ experience of witnessing the drive and ambition of people to do a great job, whether in their military career or within public sector, I continue to see the same qualities of integrity, compassion, ingenuity and leadership being portrayed.”
Danny Mortimer, chief executive of NHS Employers, which is part of the NHS Confederation, said: “I would like to extend my warmest congratulations to all the winners and finalists, and indeed, to all those who were nominated. Their work is extremely valuable, and the NHS would be the poorer without it.
“The NHS needs to attract and retain talented people to deliver the Long Term Plan. There is an amazing pool of talent within the armed forces community, and it’s great to see how much the NHS has benefited from being able to access it. NHS organisations from every region of England have pledged to Step into Health, and we look forward to seeing the programme grow even more.”
Awards finalists attended a reception hosted by The Duke of Cambridge at Kensington Palace on 10 March, followed by an awards ceremony at the Royal Society of Medicine.
WINNERS:
Leading the way as an employer
NHS advocate for Step into Health (joint winners)
Collaborative recruitment of the armed forces community
Outstanding impact since joining the NHS
FINALISTS:
Leading the way as an employer
NHS advocate for Step into Health
Collaborative recruitment of the Armed Forces community
Outstanding impact since joining the NHS
FURTHER INFORMATION:
Find out more about Step into Health: https://www.nhsemployers.org/stepintohealth
Find out more about the awards: https://www.nhsemployers.org/retention-and-staff-experience/supporting-the-armed-forces-in-the-nhs/what-can-i-do-to-be-a-supportive-employer/step-into-health/step-into-health-awards-2020
NHS Employers, which is part of the NHS Confederation, is the employers’ organisation for the NHS in England. Find out more: https://www.nhsemployers.org/
Step into Health is supported by the Royal Foundation. Find out more about its work: https://www.royalfoundation.com/
