The inaugural Northern Ireland Health and Social Care Awards have been launched to help recognise and celebrate the vital work and dedication of staff right across the sector.

The awards were launched last night at an event attended by Health Minister, Robin Swann; Deputy First Minister, Michelle O’Neill and a host of representatives from across Northern Ireland’s health and social care sector.

Sponsored by Bond Healthcare, the prestigious awards ceremony is being hosted by Dr Amir Khan, resident GP on Good Morning Britain and Lorraine, and Paediatric Nurse and Cool FM presenter, Katharine Walker, and will take place on Thursday 28th April in the Crowne Plaza Belfast.

There are 22 award categories to recognise the outstanding endeavours of the local health and social care sector including Doctor of the Year, Healthcare Assistant of the Year, Paramedic of the Year, Outstanding Contribution to the Nursing Profession, Midwife of the Year, Social Worker of the Year and Health and Social Care Worker of the Year.

The independent judging panel is made up of some of the most respected individuals within the sector - former Chief Nursing Officer for Northern Ireland, Professor Charlotte McArdle; Dr Sinead Campbell-Gray, Emergency Medicine Consultant for Belfast Health and Social Care Trust, Northern Ireland Specialist Transport & Retrieval and Helicopter Emergency Medical Service; Conor McDowell, Lead Nurse of Belfast Trust; Andy Mayhew, Chief Executive of Praxis Care; Dr Nichola Booth, Lecturer in Behaviour Analysis & Autism; Disability Rights Activist, Michaela Hollywood and Wellness Advocate, Annette Kelly.

Registered Nurse, Kieran McCormick, Co-Founder of the 2022 NI Health & Social Care Awards said: “For the last 20 months, our health and social care professionals have faced unprecedented challenges from a worldwide pandemic. And whilst Covid is still putting extreme pressure on the sector and our frontline staff, it is important that their unwavering dedication and ongoing efforts are recognised and that we thank and celebrate the entire sector.

We hope the inaugural NI Health & Social Care Awards will provide a much-needed boost in morale for the sector and demonstrate how much the Northern Ireland public appreciates their courageous efforts. We have secured a fantastic panel of industry professionals, including our former Chief Nursing Officer for Northern Ireland, Charlotte McArdle, who until very recently, led the nurses and midwives throughout Covid-19.”

Health Minister, Robin Swann said: “I am honoured to be here at the launch of the inaugural Northern Ireland Health & Social Care Awards. I am continually impressed by the selflessness, commitment and compassion that all our Health and Social Care staff have shown throughout this pandemic and in delivering care to patients throughout the service.

It is important to pay tribute to the work carried out by all the incredibly hard-working people, who make up the Health and Social Care sector in Northern Ireland, and these awards are one way of recognising the immense and amazing work that has been carried out during the pandemic.”

Jonathan St Clare, Director of Bond Healthcare said: “We are delighted to be the title sponsor of the inaugural Northern Ireland Health and Social Care Awards. Bond Healthcare is a leading Northern Irish based healthcare recruiter supplying a wide range of candidates to public and private sector healthcare organisations across the region. Following an exceptionally challenging period for the health and social care sector, we are proud to support and celebrate the hard work and dedication of this exceptional group of people. There are so many deserving winners across the sector and we would encourage everyone to get involved and enter.”

Sponsors include Balmoral Healthcare, Beyond Digital, Bowden Property, Connected Academy, HSC Clinical Education Centre, Keenan Recruitment, Sewing Solutions, Tayto and TruWASH.

The charity partner is the Northern Ireland Air Ambulance which provides the Helicopter Emergency Medical Service attending some of the most traumatic medical incidents across the province, delivering the very best pre-hospital critical care, both at the scene and whilst transferring the patients to the most appropriate hospital for their specific injuries.

For further information or to make a nomination for the 2022 Northern Ireland Health and Social Care Awards sponsored by Bond Healthcare go to www.healthandsocialawards.com