Worcestershire Royal Hospital Children’s Oncology Nurse becomes NHS Parliamentary Award regional champion

A Children and Young People Oncology Nurse Specialist from Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust has been selected as regional champion for a national NHS Parliamentary Award.

Dawn Forbes – who will now go head-to-head with other winners from across the country to be judged by a national panel made up of senior leaders representing staff and patients, for the chance to win the prestigious national award – was nominated by local MP for Wyre Forest Mark Garnier on behalf of the Trust.

MPs and NHS leaders in the Midlands joined forces to honour health and care staff who have helped to improve treatment for patients and Dawn is one of 10 regional winners from a record number of 750 nominations made across the country.

Committed to making special memories for children and their families going through cancer treatment, Dawn set up the Children of Worcester Cancer Fund and raises tens of thousands of pounds to fund various social events each year. 

At Christmas, Dawn and her colleagues transformed the Children’s Clinic into a Winter Wonderland and last year, she arranged a special trip for 150 children and their families to see Cinderella in pantomime at the Swan Theatre in Worcester.

A Charity Ball organised by Dawn in 2021 raised £9,000 and, as part of Harvey’s Gang, she regularly arranges special patient access to our laboratory for children to see their own blood samples being processed. 

Dawn’s constant drive to put a smile on the faces of children being treated for cancer and her exceptional standards of care, compassion and commitment – which are exemplars of the Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust commitment to putting patients first – was also one of the many reasons she won the Chair’s Special Recognition Award in 2021, and was a finalist for a Patient Choice Award at the 2022 Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust Staff Awards. 

Dawn said: “I am humbled to be chosen as regional champion in the NHS Parliamentary Awards. However, I could not go the extra mile without the help and support of so many of my colleagues. All of the hard work pays off when we see the smiles on the children and their families at the many special event’s we arrange for them.”

MP for Wyre Forest Mark Garnier added: “I’m delighted that Dawn has been announced as regional winner in the national NHS Parliamentary Awards. Her dedication and commitment to making special memories for the children and their families going through such challenging times is commendable. I wish her the best of luck in her category award.”  

This year, the prestigious NHS Parliamentary Awards will also mark the NHS’s 75th birthday.

Those recognised in the 10 categories, which range from Excellence in Primary Care to the Lifetime Achievement Award, include nurses, mental health teams, NHS volunteers and midwives.

The NHS Parliamentary Awards were established to engage MPs in identifying and highlighting innovative and high-quality care across every constituency in England, and thanking staff for their dedication, hard work and commitment by recognising and honouring their achievements. Now, the Awards have seen over half of English Members of Parliament nominating an individual or organisation for an award this year.

The awards will be presented at a special ceremony in the House of Commons on 5 July 2023, the day of the NHS’s 75th birthday.