INSPIRING stories of the hard work put in by the region’s dedicated doctors and nurses were at the heart of a rather poignant awards ceremony held in Swindon on Friday.

Now in its seventh year, the Great Western Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust announced the winners of its Staff Excellence Awards during the special ceremony attended by more than 400 staff at MECA.

The annual award show is an opportunity to raise a glass to the people who go above and beyond each day caring for the people of Swindon and Wiltshire.

At the heart of the evening were the inspirational stories and moving accounts of the amazing achievements that have taken place at the Great Western Hospital and across Wiltshire over the last year.

One of the evening’s many highlights came when the heroic actions of intensive care staff, who helped a sick patient get from his hospital bed to London for a family wedding, prompted a rapturous applause from the audience.

Nerissa Vaughan, chief executive, said: “This is my fifth Staff Excellence Awards since joining the trust and each year I have always been so moved and humbled by the calibre of nominations we receive and this year has been no exception.

“The fact that every incredible achievement which I’ve read about has taken place during the busiest year the NHS has ever seen is remarkable and all our staff should feel very proud.”

Among the nine awards presented on the night include the 500 Lives Award, which celebrates staff who have shown commitment to the trust’s vision of saving an extra 500 lives by 2020, the Team of the Year Award and the coveted Patients’ Choice, for which all the nominations were decided by the public.

This year’s winner was Dr Sathish Kumar, registrar and clinical fellow, who identified an extremely rare and often fatal condition called Boerhaave Syndrome in a patient who attended the Emergency Department at GWH on Christmas Day last year.

Dr Kumar’s quick thinking and ability to join the dots in a difficult situation led to the patient undergoing emergency and life-saving surgery early on Boxing Day morning at the Churchill Hospital in Oxford.

The nomination for Dr Kumar from the patient’s wife read: “His expert knowledge and fast action saved my husband’s life and I will be eternally grateful.

“I thank God each day that it was Dr Kumar working in the Emergency Department that night.

“The outlook for my husband is now very positive. He owes his life to this doctor who played a vital part in his incredible journey.”

A raffle in aid of Brighter Futures’ Radiotherapy Appeal was also held and raised £1,000 towards the cause to bring life-saving cancer treatment to Swindon.