Porters and domestic staff at hospitals in Ashington and Cramlington shortlisted for awards

Porters at Wansbeck General Hospital have been shortlisted for the Portering Team of the Year Award at the MyPorter Awards, while Wansbeck porter Paul Green is up for the Dennis Southern Lifetime Achievement Award.

Kerry Lansbury, domestic superintendent at Northumbria Specialist Emergency Care Hospital in Cramlington, was nominated for the Leadership of the Year award at the MyCleaning Awards.

Both awards celebrate the hard work of porters and domestic staff and to praise their impact on patients’ experience while in hospital.

Wansbeck General Hospital head porter Charlene Sturgeon said: “The team really go above and beyond to make patients feel at home.

“One porter even visited over 10 shops in her own time to find some Barr’s Cloudy Lemonade for an end-of-life patient just because she told her she fancied some.

“As well as doing their best for patients and staff, they also do their best for each other.”

Paul was shortlisted for the Lifetime Achievement Award after nearly 50 years as a porter. He started working in the post room of Ashington Hospital in 1975 straight after leaving school.

The award was created in honour of a former Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust porter Dennis Southern, who died of cancer while nominated for a MyPorter Award in 2020.

Rosie Sexton, people and engagement lead at the NHS trust-owned NHFM, said: “Like Dennis, Paul shows commitment, dedication, passion and care.

“He is a true Northumbria porter who puts patients at the centre of everything he does. Colleagues have branded Paul a legend and someone to look up to.”

MyCleaning Awards nominee Kerry Lansbury also started her career straight from school and now manages the domestic services team that cleans rooms after patients are discharged.

She said: “I am delighted to have been nominated for this award. This nomination reflects the hard work of the domestic team, and I am really fortunate to work in a very supportive team.”

Damon Kent, managing director of Northumbria Healthcare Facilities Management, described the nominations as “an outstanding achievement.”

He said: “For their hard work to be recognised on a national scale shows how dedicated they are to improving the experience of our patients.”