Our dedicated teams and individuals were nominated for the prestigious NHSGGC Excellence Awards by patients, visitors and staff. All of our staff have gone above and beyond in the past year and we asked to hear about your experience of outstanding care and for your nominations.
There are 7 categories in our Excellence Awards and the winners were announced at the Celebrating Success Event on 28 May 2025.
The winners were announced live on the night on our social media channels (follow the #ggcawards tag).
You can find out who the Gold Winners were, read about the Silver Winners who were shortlisted, and also view photos and videos in each of the categories below.
Congratulations to all our winners!
Better Care
This award recognises staff who provide and contribute towards incredible patient care improving everyday practices across NHSGGC.
Gold Winner – Cancer Older People’s service
The Cancer Older Peoples Service at the Beatson has successfully established and implemented a comprehensive Occupational Therapy service which is specifically designed to support older cancer patients. It is the only service of its kind in Scotland and uses targeted interventions to significantly improve functional outcomes for patients, as well as supporting their health and wellbeing. The team also concentrates on ensuring safe discharge for patients from hospital, and the best ways to avoid unnecessary hospital admissions. They will undertake a thorough assessment of a patient’s physical, psychological, and social needs, while also incorporating age-specific screenings and interventions into routine cancer care.
Evaluation has shown positive improvements in clinical outcomes, patient satisfaction, and overall cost-effectiveness, with clear areas identified for further growth. The team is currently in discussion with other cancer centres across the country to share its framework, which has proven to be a highly transferable model.
Better Health
This award commends staff who have implemented an initiative to improve the health and wellbeing of patients, the public and/or staff.
Gold Winner – Tackling Health Inequalities for People Accessing the Pain Management Service
The Pain Management Service has recognised for a long time, significant health inequalities and barriers to access for patients with communication support needs. For non-English-speaking patients, language barriers often create significant challenges when navigating the healthcare system. This is particularly true in specialised services like pain management, where understanding treatment options and communication with healthcare providers is critical for successful outcomes.
The service made it their priority to break down these barriers and improve accessibility, ensuring that every patient has the support they need, in the language they understand. To help achieve this and informed by patient and staff feedback, the team launched a number of initiatives from revision of patient materials to incorporating pain management into interpreter training.
Better Value
This award is for staff who have increased efficiencies taking a new approach to work making better use of resources.
Gold Winner – North West Primary Care Pharmacy Team – Zendesk
Zendesk aimed to streamline community pharmacy queries to enhance patient care in the North West of Glasgow City. Utilising the platform, community pharmacies submitted queries online rather than by phone, allowing for quicker and more efficient handling. Key objectives included routing queries to appropriate pharmacy team members, reducing administrative workload in GP practices, and improving turnaround time for medication-related issues.
Launched in November 2024, the system handled 435 queries in two months, with 81% resolved by Pharmacy Support Workers, thereby freeing up over 60 hours of pharmacist capacity for face-to-face patient care. The initiative not only saved staffing costs—almost £850 in eight weeks—but also provided self-help resources for community pharmacies.
With expectations to handle over 15,000 queries annually, the project is set to release nearly 2,100 hours of pharmacist time and achieve annual savings of approximately £31,000. This innovative use of IT to direct workload enhances service efficiency and patient safety.
Better Workplace
This award recognises the often unseen work of our staff who help make NHSGGC a better workplace, improving the culture and supporting colleagues.
Gold Winner – Allied Health Professions Practice Education Team
The GGC Allied Health Professions (AHP) Practice Education Team aimed to enhance the educational experience for students and AHP staff within NHSGGC by implementing a multi-dimensional education programme. The AHP Director prioritises an inclusive education strategic framework for 12 healthcare professions, including AHP Health Care Support Workers (HCSW), ensuring access to innovative learning opportunities for the current and future workforce.
The Practice Education Team has played a pivotal role over the past two years by collaborating with key partners, improving communication, and designing new AHP educational opportunities. Their efforts have raised the profile of AHPs, transformed NHSGGC’s educational offerings, and supported career development for staff and students.
Key deliverables include enhancing practice-based learning placements, developing a funded modular programme in collaboration with Glasgow Caledonian University, and supporting HCSW workforce development through flexible programmes. The team also plays a vital role in staff support during the recovery renewal period, leading initiatives like the Return to Practice programme and promoting clinical skills through simulation.
Global Citizenship
This award recognises staff who have travelled overseas to provide healthcare and/or education in developing countries or countries in crisis.
Gold Winner – Gerry O’Hare and Dr Abdulla Alhasso
Breast Cancer Advanced Nurse Practitioner Gerry O’Hare and Dr Abdulla Alhasso, a Consultant Clinical Oncologist, bring a combined 20 years of experience in supporting cancer care in Palestine, with a particular focus on breast cancer in Gaza. Breast cancer outcomes for women in Gaza are significantly worse when compared to neighbouring countries and international benchmarks. Gerry and Abdulla have undertaken regular visits to Gaza over the past five years, which has been done in their own time and with the support of the Medical Aid for Palestinian organisation.
They collaborate with healthcare professionals in Gaza to enhance the clinical outcomes for women diagnosed with breast cancer by improving both their diagnosis and treatments. The pair also participate in weekly online multidisciplinary meetings with Palestinian colleagues to discuss optimal care for women presenting with early and advanced breast cancer, while also navigating the extremely challenging local circumstances.
Nursing and Midwifery
This award recognises nurse(s) who demonstrate the best qualities of patient care and the ethos of nursing.
Gold Winner – Brachytherapy Nursing Team
Nurses on the Beatson’s B3 ward are a highly specialised team helping to care for women with gynaecological cancers. They deliver brachytherapy, a type of radiotherapy that gives radiation inside the body and run the only nurse-led service in Scotland for women who require this treatment. The nurses pre-assess and examine patients and insert the necessary cylinders to allow patients to receive high dose radiation within a specialised unit.
This is a regional service for patients attending for sealed and unsealed sources of treatment. Melanie Whyte, Senior Charge Nurse, has been instrumental in helping to develop and implement the necessary protocols, safety advice and training for nurses in the unit. Patient feedback has confirmed patients attending the unit are happy with the service, and turnaround time has improved service delivery while also taking a huge time commitment away from Senior Consultants who previously carried out these treatments.
Volunteer
Recognising people who go the extra mile contributing tirelessly and providing outstanding help and support for the benefit of others.
Gold Winner – Morag Brierton, RAH volunteer
Morag is NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde’s longest serving volunteer in acute services, having volunteered with the organisation for over 15 years. She is a Volunteer Driver for the Royal Alexandra Hospital Health at Heart team and transports patients to and from the hospital for cardiac rehab exercise classes in the Health at Heart gym. Within the service, patients also receive physiotherapy, education sessions, practical advice and emotional support, helping to rebuild their confidence and come to terms with a range of different heart conditions.
Transport within and around Renfrewshire to the hospital can be challenging, particularly for patients living in semi-rural areas. But Morag’s vital support helps break down barriers for patients – many of whom are older and at risk of isolation – in accessing the rehab programme. They enjoy spending time with Morag in the car having a chat, and she builds strong relationships with them over the weeks she is picking them up and taking them home.
