A team leader at a Bury mental health service was among those honored by the NHS at a ceremony this month.
Kate Kubacki, Healthy Minds Bury Step 2 Team Leader, received the Inspirational Leader award at the Pennine Care People Awards ceremony.
Kate received one of 12 awards given to teams and individuals who to work for Pennine Care NHS Foundation Trust, which provides mental health, learning disabilities and autism services in Bury, Heywood, Middleton and Rochdale, Oldham, Stockport and Tameside.
The awards are intended to celebrate and thank the unsung heroes who do everything they can to improve the lives of patients, families and caregivers.
After a two-year hiatus due to the covid pandemic, over 400 guests enjoyed a glittering celebration at a Manchester hotel.
The event was fully paid for by external sponsorship, including title sponsor Civica.
Gold medal winning Paralympic champion Aaron Phipps presented the evening’s awards and gave an inspiring and moving speech on how the NHS saved his life.
Among the winners were joint mental health response services in Bury, Heywood, Middleton and Rochdale, Oldham, Stockport and Tameside won the Brilliant Partnership award.
Kathy McGuirk, Operations Manager at the Greater Manchester Resilience Hub, won the Inclusion Champion award for her work promoting diversity and inclusion, and Senior Communications Officer Dan Love took home the Comedic Genius award in recognition of his witty sense of humor.
Pennine Care Chief Executive Anthony Hassall said: “It was a wonderful night and a great opportunity to highlight our superstar teams and individuals.
“It is very important to recognize and promote remarkable achievements and exceptional work that is being done.”
Evelyn Asante-Mensah OBE, President of Pennine Care, added: “It was such an uplifting, inspiring, emotional and joyous event, and a wonderful opportunity to thank and applaud teams and individuals.
“More than 300 nominations were received this year, demonstrating the tremendous amount of outstanding work being done across the organization.
“Many congratulations to all who were nominated, our finalists and winners. We are immensely proud of all our people at Pennine Care.”
Paralympic champion Aaron Phipps said: “The stories I heard were inspiring and sobering. Despite facing many challenges, the staff wakes up each morning determined to make a positive difference.
“You could really feel the love, joy and mutual respect in the room and I’m so glad I got to be a part of that.”
The awards were part of Pennine Care’s third Great Big Thank You week (November 28-December 2).
This is intended to recognize and thank colleagues across the organization for their tireless hard work and outstanding achievements over the past 12 months.
Other activities during the week included an online raffle, with prizes provided by sponsors, and free coffee and cake for colleagues, paid for through charitable funds.
People can learn more about the winners and other finalists at Pennine Care NHS Foundation Trust website.
