Media Release
Date: 6 February 2020
Estates Building team is RUH winner
The team behind essential maintenance and repairs at the Royal United Hospitals Bath NHS Foundation Trust has been honoured for its valuable behind the scenes work to keep the hospital running smoothly and efficiently.
With a diverse set of skills, the Estates Building team expertly carries out planned maintenance and provides a 24/7 service to respond to any issues.
The RUH's 52-acre site has many new modern buildings but also some that are much older, and therefore take a bit more looking after. The Estates Building team works hard to ensure that all frontline teams across the hospital, whichever building they work in, have a safe, suitable environment to provide outstanding patient care.
On Friday the team was named the Trust's Team of the Year at the annual New Year's Honours Awards ceremony, held at the Assembly Rooms in Bath. The team was presented with the award by actor John Cleese, best known for starring roles in Monty Python and Fawlty Towers.
Luke Abbott, Building Team Leader, said: "We are all really proud to work for the RUH. We go above and beyond every day to provide a high quality and responsive service, no matter what needs our attention.
"We do work behind the scenes but in a hospital it takes thousands of people with different skills and in diverse roles to work together to provide the highest quality of patient care. Receiving this award is fantastic recognition."
The Estates Building team was just one of the Trust teams and individuals recognised for achievements in 2019 at the awards ceremony.
Others included Volunteer of the Year Cheralee Miles, recognised for her dedication to providing support for breastfeeding mums in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, and the Dayroom to Doorstep Project team, named Most Innovative Team of the Year for turning an underused dayroom on Combe ward into a hub of activities and facilities for older inpatients.
Alison Ryan, Chair, said: "Our annual awards are a really special opportunity to celebrate the many incredible achievements of our colleagues and teams across the RUH. It's a chance to recognise a whole range of ways that our staff make a difference, day in day out, to patients and their families, and to each other.
"The best thing is that all our winners were nominated by their colleagues - any member of staff can make a nomination for a person or a team that they are proud of. We want to be organisation that supports our staff to flourish, and it is a privilege to celebrate so many inspiring examples of that."
Other winners were:
- Most Innovative Team of the Year - Dayroom to Doorstep Project team.
- Chief Executive's Highly Commended award - Buddy Soriano, Staff Nurse on Helena ward.
- Chief Executive's Customer Care of the Year Award - Karen Brock, Advanced Radiographer Practitioner.
- Patient Safety & Quality Improvement Award - Lisa Brown, Interim Matron.
- Research and Development Award - Veronica Lyell, Consultant Geriatrician.
- Personal Achievement Awards - James Clarke, Electronic Patient Record Developer; Andrea Chivers, Health and Safety Officer; Helen Broadbent, Head of Optometry.
- Outstanding Student of the Year Award - Stefan Vance, Project Search Student.
- Volunteer of the Year Award - Cheralee Miles, Breastfeeding Peer Support Worker.
- Nursing and Midwifery Care and Compassion Award - Amanda Gell, Matron. Nursing and Midwifery Making a Difference Award - Jane Davies, Senior Nurse for Quality Improvement.
- Nursing and Midwifery Nurse of the Year Award - Vicki Mockridge, Advanced Clinical Practitioner.