Tallaght University Hospital (TUH) has recently launched the fourth annual TUH Hero Awards and is calling for the local community, patients and their families to nominate their Hospital heroes for the “Patient Experience Award.” Every year this staff recognition scheme celebrates staff members who have gone above and beyond in providing an exceptional patient experience. This year’s concept, “Vote for the hero behind the mask,” aims to recognise the extraordinary resilience, commitment and dedication of TUH staff throughout the COVID-19 pandemic and the cyber-attack on hospital systems.
The TUH Heroes is an employee recognition scheme which celebrates the individuals and teams who go the extra mile and make a real difference to patients and their families. This is the fourth year of the annual awards that celebrates Hospital staff from every discipline who contribute to the care of patients and support the Hospital ethos of People Caring for People to Live Better Lives. TUH is calling for the local community to once again get behind the “Patient Experience Award” and nominate a member of staff who has made a real difference during their time or indeed during their family’s time in hospital. There are also various categories of internal nominations within the Hospital where staff can nominate and vote for their colleagues.
Speaking about the awards Chief Executive of TUH Lucy Nugent said, “This is the fourth annual TUH Hero Awards and it has always been a wonderful opportunity to acknowledge groups and individuals in our hospital that make our patients journey that much easier. It is an opportunity for their colleagues and the wider community to recognise the times our staff have gone above and beyond. Our staff have had a particularly challenging year and recognising their contribution is now more meaningful than it has ever been. Their dedication and perseverance in providing the best possible care to our patients in this new pandemic world and more recently following the cyber-attack on the healthcare service has been truly inspiring and I look forward to celebrating their individual and group achievements at the award ceremony in September.”
Declan Daly, Chair of the Patient Community Advisory Council representing the community on the judging panel said, “The COVID-19 pandemic has put a very positive spotlight on the incredible work that takes place in our hospitals every day. It has been truly remarkable to witness the resilience of the staff of Tallaght University Hospital in the last 16 months and the pride and support that the patients, their families and the wider community have shown has been overwhelming. The TUH Hero Awards this year is a perfect opportunity for the community to express their gratitude for the unyielding professional dedication to patient-centred care and the personal sacrifices that staff have made to care for patients despite the extremely challenging environment. It is recognition of the care, commitment and generosity they show to their patients and our community every day.”
How to vote for your TUH Hero 2021 – Community Nominated Award
Application forms for members of the public to vote for the Community Nominated Patient Experience Award can be found through www.tuh.ie/Departments/Human-Resources/TUH-Heroes-Nomination-Form.pdf and the Hospital Facebook page. The closing date for submissions is July 23rd with the awards scheduled to take place in a socially distanced ceremony in the Hospital in September.
The Patient Experience category is open to the community to nominate an individual whom for that patient demonstrated a deep understanding and compassion for them or their loved one during their time in the Hospital. This person will have demonstrated the finer ideals of caring through extraordinary service to a patient and or their families, going beyond the expectations of the care the patient / family expected and delivered an ‘exceptional patient experience’.
Hospital Award Categories – voted for internally by TUH staff
As well as the Community Nominated Patient Experience Award, the hospital staff can vote for their colleagues internally for the below categories:
- People Caring for People – a staff member who exemplifies all the core values of the organisation
- Unsung Hero Award – a staff member who demonstrates exceptional service to the organisation
- Service Excellence Award – a staff member who provides an outstanding service to patients or staff within our Hospital
- Mentoring Award – a staff member who demonstrates outstanding teaching skills and/or serves as role model and mentor to any member of staff
- Teamwork Award – a staff member who is a valued ‘team’ player
