Delighted dad and daughter who work for Northamptonshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust win national NHS award

A father-daughter duo, who have been named team winners at a national awards celebrating the unsung heroes of the NHS, say they are ‘proud’ to be honoured.

Jemma and Danny Roscoe, from Northamptonshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust (NHFT), were named winners of the ‘Portering Team of The Year Award’ at the MyPorter Awards in association with NHS England, which recognises ‘extraordinary resilience, teamwork and contribution to their trust.’

The judges awarded both father and daughter, who are porter team leaders, the top accolade in recognition of their ‘amazing work ethic’ and because every request to them is met with a positive attitude.

Jemma, who works at Isebrook Hospital in Wellingborough and her dad Danny, who works at St Mary's Hospital in Kettering, heard they had won at the awards on February 21, 2023.

The pair were even interviewed by Kay Burley on Sky News about their win.

Having commenced in 2020, the MyPorter Awards honour the invaluable role hospital porters play in supporting clinical health services, through a range of activities including laundry services, waste collection, or delivering food, post, parcels or oxygen to the wards.

Jemma said: “We both feel very proud to be nominated and to win, especially with it being such a high-profile award.

"Colleagues have been congratulating us, but without the support of those we work with, we wouldn't have got where we are, so thank you to everyone.”

The judges said: “Jemma recently attended a site at 6am to assist with flooding, she moved sandbags and assisted with cleaning to minimise damage to the hospital.

"She always finds a solution to any issue that is presented to her, from ensuring special diet meals are delivered to the wards to fixing broken pipes at 5am.

"During Covid, Danny gave his personal mobile number to the wards and offered to assist with oxygen at any time of the day or night.

"Danny is the ‘go to’ man on his hospital site; if there is a problem he will fix it.

"He frequently comes in during the festive period in his own time dressed as Santa and will sit and chat with patients in the local hospice.”

Taking place in central London, the MyPorter Awards saw six awards presented to the finalists from across the country who made the NHS judges shortlist.

The broad range of entries showed just why the NHS porters deserve to be honoured and praised, just like the doctors and nurses they work with often are.

All finalists attended a live conference during the day which saw them hear from guest speakers about the future of portering, team work and best practice.

Fiona Daly, national deputy director of estates at NHS England, said: “The event has been brilliant, recognising all the great work that is happening across the NHS with the portering services within estates and facilities – during times like the pandemic, the likes of the porters, the cleaners, the security guards – they kept the NHS going.

"They are the beating heart of NHS and it has been amazing to recognise all of their efforts not just for during the pandemic, but now as we move towards a period of recovery.”