The NELFT Communications team received an accolade at the Association of Healthcare Communications and Marketing Awards (AHCM) last night. The team received Highly Commended in the Team of the Year category at the annual event held at the Dunchurch Park Hotel and Conference Centre in Warwickshire.

The awards were first launched 21 years ago and their aim is to celebrate best practice in the field of healthcare communications and marketing. They also enable our industry to reward the vital role it plays in ensuring important healthcare messages are communicated, communities are engaged with and healthcare achievements are recognised. They were open not just to people working for the NHS, but other health and social care organisations.

As well as an awards ceremony in the evening, the event featured a one-day national conference designed for NHS communicators. Speakers included NELFT’s Director of Communications Carrie-Ann Wade, George Pascoe-Watson, former political editor of the Sun, Roy Lilley, NHS writer, broadcaster and commentator, and Victoria Macdonald, Health and Social Care Correspondent, Channel 4 News.

After the awards announcement, we spoke with Carrie-Ann Wade to get her reaction to events at the ceremony:

How did you feel when the team received the accolade?

I am so proud the team has been highly commended for Team of the Year at the Association of Healthcare Communications and Marketing, as it demonstrates the journey the team has been on over the last 12-18 months. It is great recognition of the hard work and dedication the whole team has shown. We are on a journey to continuously improve the communications service we offer to the trust and I’m happy the team has been recognised nationally.

How do you feel that improving communications can benefit the NHS as a whole?

Communications and engagement are key to the success of the NHS, whether it is supporting staff morale and engagement via strong internal communications or ensuring that patients are able to access the information they need about our services. Partnership working is crucial in a world where we are being asked to provide services in a more integrated way and strong communications and engagement will help to deliver this.

Communications is a profession that is often misunderstood within the NHS, but communicators provide expert strategic and operational advice and support across all NHS services. We have a duty as communications professionals to provide a fit for purpose service and to support the NHS to deliver across all areas.

Thanks to Carrie-Ann for her comments and congratulations to the team.

Pictured L-R are: Kyle Grieve (Social Media Officer), Carrie-Ann Wade (Director of Communications) and Taiye Aro (Marketing, Web and Membership Services Manager)