Outstanding NHS employees and teams in Stockport have been honoured at the Celebrating Stockport Good Practice Awards.

The awards, held at the hospital’s education centre, celebrated those working in children’s services, district nursing, trauma and orthopaedics, occupational health, pharmacy and stroke. They also applauded newly integrated teams, which have been set up in partnership with local health and social care organisations for improved joined-up care. These include the active recovery team, a joint service with the council, which helps support people’s recovery and rehabilitation outside hospital.

One winner was Jo Langridge, a head and neck nurse specialist at Stepping Hill Hospital, who won the Compassionate Care Award.  Jo’s role includes looking after cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy, which she always handles with the utmost empathy and compassion.

Jo was nominated by colleagues for frequently going ‘above and beyond’ to help patients. Examples include helping a patient who’s gas supply had been cut off and getting charity money to help house a cancer patient who was homeless following chemotherapy treatment. The awards ceremony audience also heard how Jo regularly arrived at work early to telephone a patient with memory problems, in order to remind her to attend her appointments.

Adrian Belton, Chair at Stockport NHS Foundation Trust, which runs Stepping Hill Hospital and community health services, said, “There are so many skilled and committed people who make an outstanding contribution, work above and beyond the call of duty, and achieve special goals.  It’s great to be able to recognise them, share best practice and also promote the tremendous benefits of integrated teams as part of the Stockport Together partnership.”