A new category has been added to the MyPorter Awards for 2021 to honour Dennis Southern, a porter with Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust from 2007 to 2021.
The MyPorter Award 2020 was the first time a portering awards event had been held specifically for NHS portering teams. Dennis was nominated by Nicola Cartwright, the Trust's Area Estates & Facilities Manager, but sadly, he passed away from cancer on February 1, 2021, just two weeks before the awards closed.
The judges felt that the nomination for Dennis more than warranted consideration as an award winner, but that they needed to go further to do his name and his legacy justice. It was decided to create a new category for the MyPorter Awards 2021 in his name. Dennis was a porter who showed commitment, dedication, passion and care throughout his career, and had a positive impact on every individual who met him, whether that was a member of staff, a patient, or a patient's family member. He encompassed everything that a porter needs to be and more.
The Dennis Southern Award – For Endeavour, will be presented in his honour, and will celebrate him and the individuals within NHS portering services who embody his morals, ethics and outlook.
The Award itself was created and presented posthumously to his friends, family and colleagues at the beginning of this year, where it sat proudly on display on the mantelpiece. Shaped like a shield, every year the name of the winner will be engraved onto it, allowing the name and legacy of Dennis to live on and inspire a new generation of porters.
Nicola Cartwright explains why she nominated Dennis Southern for the award last year: “Dennis was an incredibly hard worker, he was part of the Northumbria family and embodied the values of the Trust. Originally, I nominated Dennis for the award because of his hard work and commitment, despite the personal challenges he faced outside of work. He was an absolute pleasure to be around, whether he was communicating with staff or patients, he was always so polite and kind. Sadly, Dennis passed before he could be presented with his award, but the fact that his legacy lives on through the MyPorter awards is a real nod towards the man, and porter, that he was.”
Matt Wright, CEO at GV Healthcare – part of Global View which developed the MyPorter system the awards are named after, says: “We’re delighted to be relaunching the MyPorter Awards this year. They were so well received last year, gaining national recognition, which is testament to the great work porters do. It’s even more of a privilege to be able to honour Dennis Southern in a way that allows his legacy to live on in the form of an award in his name, which we hope will help inspire a new generation of NHS porters, of which it is known there is a shortage.”
Porters are a vital cog in the big machine that is the NHS. The MyPorter awards are here to shine a light on the good work they do. This is your chance to showcase the achievements of your porters to a national audience, share best practice stories when it comes to improving patient experience, highlight your successes either as an individual or team and even use it as a tool to improve staff culture and morale.
The six categories at the MyPorter Awards 2021 are:
• MyPorter Award 2021
• Dennis Southern Award - For Endeavour
• Portering Team of The Year Award
• Outstanding Contribution to Patient Experience Award
• Leadership of The Year Award
• Newcomer of The Year Award
Entries are open now, and will close on January 16th 2022.
Shortlists will be listed before the winners are announced, hopefully at a live portering conference and awards ceremony in February.
Make your nominations here. www.myporterlogistics.com
Pictured: GV Healthcare’s Mark Smith (right) and Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust’s Damon Kent (left) present the Dennis Southern Award to Dennis’ family.
