Crewe and Nantwich MP, Dr Kieran Mullan, is calling for nominees to enter the official NHS Parliamentary Awards - in recognition of staff who have gone above and beyond the call of

duty through difficult COVID times. The NHS Parliamentary Awards offer a chance to celebrate NHS staff, carers and volunteers for all the hard work they do to look after our loved ones when they are at their most vulnerable. Coronavirus has been a global health emergency on a scale not seen for a century. The NHS responded swiftly and flexibly to deal with the pandemic while maintaining other urgent care, but staff – present, past and future – have had to come together as never before, supported by volunteers and the public. Staff are continuing to go above and beyond for patients as they work to reduce the COVID backlog by providing 17 million extra diagnostic tests over the next three years. NHS England will also be adding to the 122 surgical hubs already in operation across the country over the next three years. So many staff have worked tirelessly to put patients first, and this is something that the awards aim to recognise and reward. As part of the NHS's 74th birthday this year, the NHS will once again be looking to celebrate those who have gone the extra mile to support patients. Kieran Mullan is now searching for outstanding nominees for the 2022 Awards who have innovated, impressed, and made a real difference to how the health and care system provides care for patients. Recommendations can be made by visiting Kieran's website here. Kieran Mullan said: "The NHS is one of the nation's most loved institutions and hardworking NHS staff make it what it is today. "The stories I hear from local health services make me incredibly proud of the fact that our constituency contains people willing to provide such fantastic care to our most vulnerable residents. "NHS staff, volunteers and carers make a true difference to the lives of their patients, and I want to recognise those individuals and teams at this year's NHS Parliamentary Awards. "I want to hear from you about any outstanding care you have received in the last year so that I can nominate our local heroes for these awards. "It was great to meet Darren and Karina, who as part of the London Ambulance Service are previous winners of the prize, at the recent launch of this year's awards." Professor Stephen Powis, chair of the judging panel and NHS National Medical Director, said: "Throughout the NHS's history there are examples of how staff and volunteers have contributed to making the health service the greatest care team in the world. "The NHS Parliamentary Awards are a unique opportunity for MPs to highlight the amazing work done by NHS staff in their local areas, and I look forward to working with all of the judges to review the nominations we receive." This year there are 10 award categories, including the Lifetime Achievement Award, the Rising Star Award and, as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic, the Covid Response Award. The Parliamentary Awards 2022 launched on 2 March 2022, and all those who make the national shortlist will be invited to an award ceremony in Westminster to celebrate their fantastic achievements. Since the awards began in 2018, over 450 Members of Parliament nominated an individual or organisation for an award. Last year, the NHS received over 500 nominations from MPs. The nomination process is open from Wednesday 2nd March 2022 until midnight, Wednesday 6th April 2022, although Kieran has asked for nominations to be sent by the 1st April. They will then be sent to the relevant NHS England and NHS Improvement teams for initial sifting. Patients, the public and local health and care organisations are encouraged to submit their nomination suggestions to their local MP's at least two weeks before the nomination window closes to give MPs time to review and choose which applications to submit. Successful nominations at this stage will then go forward to a regional panel comprised of senior regional NHS England and NHS Improvement representatives. The regional panels will each choose one nomination in each category to go forward to the national judging panel. A national judging panel will then score each of the shortlisted nominations and select an overall winner for each category. In case you missed it: 101 years of LMR Club - magnificent memories recalled by the people of Crewe. [I] Free from clickbait, pop-up ads and unwanted surveys, Crewe Nub News is a quality online newspaper for our town. Please consider following Crewe Nub News on Facebook or Twitter.