UHN celebrates colleagues and teams at its 2025 Annual Excellence Awards

University Hospitals of Northamptonshire (UHN) recently rolled out the red carpet for an evening of pride and inspiration at its 2025 annual Excellence Awards at the Mercure Hotel in Northampton. Sponsored by Smart Co Future Health, this glittering event celebrated the remarkable staff, volunteers, and fundraisers from Kettering and Northampton General Hospitals.

Over 450 nominations were received, sharing experiences of extraordinary care, innovation, and generosity, but it was the winners who were recognised for making a lasting difference in the lives of patients, their loved ones and colleagues.

The Patient Choice category, which included nominations from our local community, shared the invaluable impact colleagues had on patients and their loved ones.

The Northampton General Hospital winners of the Patient Choice Award were the Bereavement Midwives and Support Workers. Their compassion and guidance brought comfort to a family who endured the unimaginable loss of their baby. They were praised for their compassion, comfort when the family needed it most and their support in navigating the world of baby loss.

At Kettering General Hospital, the winner was Senior Clinical Duty Manager Raji Rajan Joseph, who went above and beyond to support a family through a stressful hospital journey, ensuring even the youngest children felt cared for and secure.

Shining stars in other award categories, included support worker Katy McCrossan, UHN Shining Star Clinical Individual Award winner, was praised for her ability to be an anchor for patients in moments of fear and uncertainty. Her warmth, dedication, and integrity, was also highlighted alongside her compassion and calm presence.

Senior Healthcare Assistant, Emma Murray, winner of the UHN Compassionate Colleague Award, was recognised for her attentive personal touches, treating patients to mini spas by helping with their hair and nails, bringing comfort and dignity during vulnerable moments.

Farhana Ahmedabadi-Patel, UHN Shining Star Non-Clinical Individual Award winner sponsored by Mercure Northampton, shared how her work has transformed equity, diversity and inclusion into measurable change across UHN.

Ken Westall, who volunteers for the hospital charity, the Northamptonshire Health Charity, was chosen as the winner of the Northamptonshire Health Charity Fundraiser of the Year Award for supporting vital fundraising projects across UHN. Another volunteer highlighted was Joyce Crowther, UHN Star Volunteer of the Year winner who was praised her caring nature and support.

Teams were also celebrated, with the Intensive Care Unit Research Team winning the UHN Research, Innovation, and Improvement Award sponsored by Multiverse, the Electronic Patient Record Team winning the UHN Non-Clinical Stars Team Award sponsored by SmartCo Future Health for their three-year programme of work to launch a new Electronic Patient Record at Northampton General. And the Pneumonia Specialist Team, UHN Clinical Stars Team Award winners, who stood out for driving innovation, spearheading digital transformation, and delivering superior patient care.

The UHN Excellence Awards are a reminder that along every hospital corridor and in every patient story are individuals and teams who bring hope, healing, and compassion.

Chief Executive, Laura Churchward captured the sentiment of the evening, saying: “Our annual Excellence Awards are an opportunity for us to recognise some of our incredible colleagues, volunteers, and fundraisers, who work so hard, and with such commitment, to support our hospitals. The nominations showed clear examples of the extraordinary care, compassion, kindness, innovation, and generosity, taking place every day in our hospitals and community settings. I am so proud and honoured to work alongside these colleagues, and I’d like to congratulate all of our winners and shortlisted nominees.”

We offer our special thanks to the event’s generous sponsors: SmartCo Future Health, Northamptonshire Health Charity, Multiverse, Mercure Northampton, RLS Print and Design, R.B. Travel, PicMe Photobooths, Nervecentre, and Video Inn Production.

As the hospital looks forward to next year’s awards, they are keen to hear from businesses who would like to sponsor future events. If you would like to know more about sponsoring the 2026 UHN Excellence Awards, please contact the Communications team by emailing ngh-tr.uhncomms@nhs.net

A full list of the winners are below.

The Winners’ List

Northamptonshire Health Charity Fundraiser of the Year Award 2025

Winner – Ken Westall – Volunteer - His nomination reads:

An outstanding volunteer, dedicating his time, energy, and passion to supporting UHN and the charity. He actively promotes the charity at events and on various platforms, sharing its mission and inspiring others to get involved. Ken embodies compassion and inclusivity in his volunteer work. His ability to connect with diverse groups and promote the charity’s mission in an engaging and accessible way reflects his dedication to equality.

 

UHN Compassionate Colleague Award

Winner – Emma Murray – Senior Healthcare Assistant - Her nomination reads:

Emma is the absolute best team player. She speaks on behalf of the patients to make sure they get the best possible care and will escalate accordingly. She’s also gone out the way to buy patients items such an inflatable hair wash bowls, she takes the time to untangle and condition hair, braid it as well as cutting nails and giving mini spas. She never asks for anything back, just that the patients are well presented and sat out ready for when they have visitors.

UHN Research, Innovation, and Improvement Award 2025 sponsored by Multiverse

Winner – ICU Research Team - Their nomination reads:

The ICU Research team are committed to advancing critical care through active participation and leadership in numerous high-impact clinical trials. Beyond trial participation, the ICU Research Team fosters a culture of research among staff and patients, ensuring ethical recruitment, patient-centred care, and meticulous data collection. Their work strengthens the bridge between clinical care and research, benefiting current and future ICU patients.
 

UHN Patient Choice Award 2025 KGH

Winner – Raji Rajan Joseph – Senior Clinical Duty Manager - Her nomination reads:

I was in Paediatric ED with my younger son, needing an admission. We were waiting for a bed and Raji called the bed manager, she acted swiftly and made all the arrangements. She came to me and sat down and said: ‘We are here for you’. She took me to the vending machine for my elder son’s crisps, but it was broken. She and her colleague later came to Skylark ward with crisps and Maltesers which my son likes. She is such a kind person who has a kind heart and needs the best recognition in the world.
 

UHN Patient Choice Award 2025 NGH

Winner - Bereavement Midwives and Support Workers – Their nomination reads:

I am nominating this team due to their exceptional care during our stay in hospital, after our daughter was stillborn. We were never pressured to make any immediate decisions, we were given options of care, expert knowledge, and respected to make our own decisions about the care we received as a family. We knew we would be supported fully by this team. During such shock and heartbreak it is impossible to know what you need, but this team helped us to make treasured memories with our daughter before leaving the hospital without her. The team bought us comfort when we needed it most, and we felt confident in their advice and guidance on how to navigate the world of baby loss. They are currently supporting us through our rainbow pregnancy which we could not do without their empathy and expertise.
 

UHN Shining Star (Non-Clinical Individual) Award 2025 sponsored by Mercure Northampton

Winner – Farhana Ahmedabadi-Patel – Senior Diversity and Inclusion Specialist - Her nomination reads:

Her leadership has transformed equity, diversity, and inclusion at UHN into measurable change. She led the Rethinking Racism Education Programme, embedding inclusion into recruitment, staff networks, professional development, and leadership. Farhana champions REACH colleagues through career coaching, mentoring, and advocacy, supporting progression and empowerment. Her work has improved belonging and respect scores, increased diversity in recruitment, and boosted engagement in EDI initiatives.
 

UHN Shining Star (Clinical Individual) Award

Winner – Katy McCrossan – Support Worker - Her nomination reads:

Katy has transformed and enabled development in our small specialist cancer nursing team with her warmth, dedication, integrity and skills. Frequently the first contact for patients, she is often their anchor in moments of fear and uncertainty. Feedback from patients and colleagues is consistently glowing, describing how her calm presence and compassion make them feel safe and respected. She listens without limit, offering reassurance when patients feel isolated, and gives tireless support to all colleagues.
 

UHN Non-Clinical Stars Team Award 2025 sponsored by SmartCo Future Health

Winner – Electronic Patient Record Team - Their nomination reads:

Over three years, they worked tirelessly from conception of a new EPR to engaging 150+ clinical, operational, and digital colleagues in procurement, through to mobilising 200 staff for the successful go-live of Nervecentre. They showed outstanding collaboration across clinical and non-clinical areas, training staff, resolving issues, and supporting colleagues through change. Their dedication ensured continuity of care and a positive experience for patients and staff alike.
 

UHN Clinical Stars Team Award 2025

Winner – Pneumonia Specialist Team - Their nomination reads:

Their work has led to a two-day reduction in average length of stay, an 18% reduction in readmission rates, and a 20% reduction in mortality compared to the national average. These outcomes are complemented by consistently high patient satisfaction scores, reflecting the team’s dedication to both quality and kindness. They established a pneumonia virtual ward improving continuity of care and supporting earlier, safer discharges.
 

UHN Star Volunteer of the Year Award

Winner – Joyce Crowther – Volunteer - Her nomination reads:

Joyce is truly one of those exceptional individuals who consistently goes above and beyond to support both patients and staff. She currently volunteers as a Brew Buddy, supports in the Discharge Lounge, ensuring patients feel cared for and reassured during their transition home and in the Emergency Department, where she keeps a watchful eye to make sure patients stay hydrated and comfortable during what can often be a stressful time. Joyce also plays a key role in welcoming and supporting new volunteers.