Annual trust award ceremony recognises extraordinary healthcare stars
Published date: Thursday 21 May 2026
Incredible NHS staff from across Warrington and Halton have been recognised for their outstanding efforts and contributions at North Cheshire and Mersey NHS Foundation Trust’s annual Thank You Awards.
The inspiring evening was filled with admiration and praise as individuals and teams came together to celebrate the contributions and achievements of healthcare colleagues working in Warrington and Halton hospitals, across community services and wider support teams.
This year, more than 500 nominations were submitted for the awards, with winners crowned across 12 categories.
Demonstrating their teamwork and commitment to delivering compassionate, safe patient care, this year the Paediatric Respiratory Team were crowned Clinical Team of the Year. The team were praised for their work to cut waiting times and transform asthma care for children and young people.
The award for Non-Clinical Team of the Year went to the Medical Engineering Team for their ‘can do’ attitude and commitment to ensuring safe, seamless and reliable care across the trust through equipment maintenance and innovation.
Recognised for delivering an outstanding service that makes a positive difference, this year the clinical and non-clinical colleague of the year awards were collected by Dr Furhan Razzaq and Julie Cartledge. Furhan was commended for his approachable nature, compassion and commitment to ensuring the highest clinical standards.
Julie’s award-winning nomination hailed her as the ‘pillar of the team’ thanks to her dedication, initiative and genuine kindness that ensures the smooth running of the Diabetic Foot Clinic team and puts patients at ease.
New for this year, the Healthcare Hero award recognised an individual who went above the call of duty with an extraordinary act. The trophy was presented to Jade Ward, community district nurse, for her courage and quick thinking when she stopped to provide care at the scene of a serious car accident.
Three very special trophies were also handed out on the night, with a special category to mark WHH Charity’s 30th birthday. The Charity Champion Award recognised supporters whose dedication to fundraising, involvement and commitment to championing the charity have been inspiring and invaluable, with Sacred Heart Catholic Primary School crowned as winners. Highly commended in the category were Shaun Ryan, Protive Security, and Laurence Barrow, Barrow Electrical.
The People’s Choice Award, the only award open to public nomination, was presented to Cristobelle Federico, care support worker. The nomination praised Cristobelle for her creativity and dedication to transforming the experience of patients living with dementia. Her nomination said: “Cristobelle doesn’t just deliver care – she enriches lives.”
The final award for outstanding achievement was presented by Nikhil Khashu, chief executive, to Dr Lalitha Chinnappan for her ‘unquestionable’ commitment to patient safety and innovative work to transform histopathology cancer referral pathways. Recognised as someone who works quietly behind the scenes, Lalitha was commended for going above and beyond to make services safer and provide invaluable support across the trust.
Nikhil Khashu, chief executive, reflected on the inspirational evening, saying: “Our Thank You Awards provide the opportunity for us to recognise the incredible work our teams do across hospital and community services. This year was particularly special as we celebrated our first awards as North Cheshire and Mersey and it was a privilege to celebrate the dedication, outstanding achievements and teamwork across our trust.
“Events like these are an important way to pause and reflect on our achievements, which wouldn’t be possible without colleague’s commitment to what matters most – our patients, our communities, and one another.”
Other accolades on the night included the Diversity and Inclusion Award, presented to Zetta Edwards, learning disability and autism matron, for her work to transform care and develop inclusive patient pathways, the Inspiring Leader Award to Adam Harrison-Moran, associate chief people officer, the Innovation, Improvement and Research Award to the Ambient Voice Technology Project Team the Rising Star Award, presented to Paula Salmon, newly qualified health visitor, for going above and beyond her duties to support children and families.
The event also featured a charity raffle, with a record total of £2,500 raised on the night for Warrington and Halton Hospitals’ Charity.
The full list of awards and winners can be found on the North Cheshire and Mersey website.
The event was made possible thanks to ticket sales and generous sponsorship from Urolase, Patchwork, Hill Dickinson, Kier, the University of Chester, BT, Max20, Weightmans, Pulse Outdoor Advertising, Axis CLC, City Building Engineering Services, CoolMed and SARD.