Outstanding staff achievement has been celebrated at the Beach Ballroom at Aberdeen City Health & Social Care Partnership’s third annual HEART Awards.
The occasion drew some 300 colleagues from across the Partnership, and the third and independent sectors, for an evening of accolades and entertainment.
The HEART Awards – ‘Having Exceptional Achievement Recognised Together’ – is designed to celebrate the outstanding work of colleagues in the Partnership, in our partner organisations and among our volunteers.
More than 80 nominations for 66 individuals and teams were submitted in the six award categories.
Judges from the Joint Staff Forum, the Partnership’s Leadership Team and Integration Joint Board chair and vice-chair Councillor Sarah Duncan and Jonathan Passmore then whittled down the entries to three finalists in each category. The winners were then chosen and announced on the night – and a Special Commendation was also awarded at the end of the evening.
The seven winners and all the finalists each received a commemorative HEART Awards plaque.
Hosts for the evening were Transformation Manager Stephen McNamee and Research & Evaluation Manager Calum Leask, who also starred in a hilarious video which was screened at the start of the evening – showing the duo, from Donegal and Shetland respectively, grappling with directions offered to them in broad Doric as they try to find their way to the venue for the HEART Awards . . . and understanding barely a word!
The evening also featured entertainment from the 50-strong Rock Choir and an acoustic set from Partnership Business Manager Martin Allan.
IJB chair Councillor Duncan told everyone gathered in the Ballroom: “Tonight I want to pay tribute to the hard work and dedication of all our staff and partners – wherever you work and no matter in what field, whether you are frontline practitioners or members of the support teams behind the scenes without whom this organisation could not function.
“Everyone who was ‘in the hat’ was nominated by their colleagues. This in itself is proof positive that your work and your professionalism is highly regarded and highly valued by those with whom you work most closely.
“The message I take from that is that you yourselves see first-hand the great work that your colleagues do. In a society which sadly takes the high value of the caring role for granted, at least you can know that your colleagues are behind you.”
Partnership Chief Officer Sandra Ross told colleagues: “For every ‘official’ winner this evening, there are hundreds of ‘unofficial winners’, right across our organisation and beyond. They are the people in every part of our organisation, who turn up to work every day, often working unsocial hours, in jobs which are so rewarding for our staff and our patients and service users.
“You are all ‘winners’ in my mind – simply because the services you provide give so much to the people of Aberdeen. You literally change people’s lives – and our citizens’ health and wellbeing would be much the poorer without your support.”
A charity collection from guests on the night, with a donation from the Beach Ballroom’s Staff Fund, raised £1,500 for the selected charity, Aberdeen Drugs Action.
HEART Awards 2019 - The Winners
