Awards to celebrate the dedication and hard work of staff at Dorset County Hospital (DCH) are now open for nominations.

The hospital's annual Going the Extra Mile (GEM) Awards are back and recognise individual members of staff, teams and volunteers who have gone over and above what is expected to make a difference to people's lives.

Over the past 18 months, everyone at DCH has worked incredibly hard to provide the best possible patient care and experience during what has been, and continues to be, a very challenging and pressurised time.

The GEM Awards 2021 will be a night of celebration to honour the dedication and commitment of staff and volunteers at DCH that colleagues, patients and their friends and family feel have made a stand out difference in these unprecedented times.

The awards evening will also recognise those staff receiving their 25 year NHS Long Service Award.

There are nine GEM categories:

• Chairman's Award
• Team of the Year Award
• Leadership Award
• Quality Improvement and Innovation Award
• Volunteer Award
• Lifetime Achievement Award
• Student/Apprentice of the Year Award
• Contribution to Research Award
• Patient Safety Award

Trust chairman Mark Addison said: "Due to the coronavirus pandemic we sadly had to cancel the 2020 GEM Awards, so we are really looking forward to welcoming them back this year.

It's been a year and a half like no other and we are so incredibly proud of all our amazing staff for working under such demanding circumstances.

"The GEM Awards are a great opportunity to recognise and thank our staff and volunteers for all they do for our trust and our patients so I would encourage you all to nominate those individuals and/or teams who have made a lasting impression."

The deadline for nominations is 5pm on Friday, September 10. The awards evening will be held in November.

Nominations can be made here.

When making nominations, please include as much detail as possible about how the individual or team has provided exceptional care.

For more information about the GEM Awards, including the criteria for each individual category, visit dchft.nhs.uk

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