Our Ayrshire Achieves award scheme provides an important opportunity for local people and NHS staff to recognise the exceptional contributions of health workers and volunteers who have gone above and beyond.
A judging panel, consisting of staff, senior managers, sponsors, and trade union representatives, selected 18 finalists and overall winners in each category.
Claire Burden, Chief Executive of NHS Ayrshire & Arran said: “On behalf of the organisation, I would like to extend my heartfelt thanks to everyone who took the time to nominate their health hero for an award.
“I want to congratulate all the individuals and teams who were nominated. Every day, we hear stories of our dedicated staff going above and beyond. They do this not for recognition, but out of a commitment to providing safe, high-quality care.
“Ayrshire Achieves is our opportunity to celebrate the excellence in health and social care across Ayrshire and Arran. So, congratulations to all our finalists, and I wish you the very best of luck.”
The 18 finalists come from a wide range of disciplines – from procurement and speech and language therapy staff, to nurses and allied health professions.
There are six award categories and the finalists are:
- Behind the scenes, sponsored by NHS Credit Union
- Clinical Operations Managers – University Hospitals Ayr and Crosshouse
- GPs Dr Rachel Fraser and Dr Chris Black
- Zoe Fance and the Procurement Team
- Care and compassion, sponsored by Unite
- Marita Higgins – Care at Home Assistant – North Ayrshire Health and Social Care Partnership
- Margaret McLean, Suicide Prevention Lead – East Ayrshire Health and Social Care Partnership
- Audrey Christie, Business Manager – Public Health
- Collaboration and working together, sponsored by NHS Credit Union
- Urology Team, University Hospital Ayr – Prostate Cancer Care
- Focus on Frailty Team
- Day Surgery Unit Team, University Hospital Crosshouse
- Making a difference with digital, sponsored by NHS Credit Union
- Dr Carol Overend, Senior Principal Clinical Psychologist – Clinical Lead Digital Therapies Team, North Ayrshire Community mental Health Team
- Kimberley Mills, Team Leader – Rapid Access Drug and Alcohol Recovery (RADAR) Service, East Ayrshire Health and Social Care Partnership
- Urology Oncology Team
- Shining stars, sponsored by Unite
- Lynn Forbes, Addiction Case Worker
- Gaynor Campbell, Senior Advanced Nurse Practitioner Cardiology – Acute Care Unit / Cardiac Day Unit
- Lauren Mitchell, Radiographer
- Thinking outside the box, sponsored by NHS Credit Union
- Scottish Centre for Personal Safety
- Staying ahead of the curve Occupational Therapy Team
- East Ayrshire Children and Young People’s Speech and Language Therapy Team
The winners of Ayrshire Achieves 2025 will be announced at an awards ceremony on Thursday 29 May 2025 at University Hospital Ayr.
Lesley Bowie, Chairperson of Ayrshire and Arran NHS Board will also present the Chairperson’s award to the Clinical Development Fellow Programme, a programme she feels deserves special recognition for the work that they do.
Claire Burden adds: “Once again, we will be live-streaming the event on our YouTube channel, and will be sharing live updates on Facebook. So, make sure you tune in and support your health hero.”
Ayrshire Achieves is supported by NHS Ayrshire & Arran’s Area Partnership Forum, and sponsored by NHS Credit Union, Unite, NHS Staff Benefits and the Royal College of Nursing.