2022 WINNERS
What makes a winner?
Rukeya Miah – Bradford Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust | Bradford District Care NHS Foundation Trust
BAME Midwife of the Year, sponsored by the Nursing and Midwifery Council
Rukeya’s work continues to inspire and motivate BAME staff to progress in their careers. She has produced ground-breaking work, including COVID-19 immunisation clinics for pregnant and breastfeeding women.
Jennifer Pearson – University Hospitals Birmingham
BAME Nurse of the Year
Jennifer has promoted race equality for most of her professional career. She’s worked to raise awareness of BAME COVID-19 issues, co-designing a BAME leadership programme and the BAME Patient Care Council.
Shumel Rahman – North East Ambulance Service
Clinical Champion of the Year
Shumel is the chair of the BAME staff network and helps attract new members, supports race safe space events, is active in regional BAME groups and attends national group meetings.
Engagement Diversity and inclusion Team – North East Ambulance Service
Digital Champion of the Year
During the pandemic, North East Ambulance Service developed digital accessibility projects, including improving online information, employing telephone interpreters, and increasing and adapting more visible information and images of BAME staff on social media.
Sam Ogunkoya – East London NHS Foundation Trust (ELFT)
Inspiring Diversity and Inclusion Lead of the Year
Sam’s work over the past year has set ELFT and its partners on the path to improving access, experiences, and outcomes for BAME users and staff in East London. It’s solution-focused ‘Let’s Talk’ report documents the experiences of mental health services within the BAME community.
Benash Nazmeen – Bolton NHS Foundation Trust
Ground-breaking Researcher of the Year
Upon joining Bolton NHS Foundation Trust in 2020 as Specialist Cultural Liaison Midwife, Benash quickly began learning about the diverse population of Bolton and took responsibility for identifying how Bolton NHS could improve its care.
Marsha Jones – Epsom and St Helier University Hospitals NHS Trust
Compassionate and Inclusive Leader of the Year
Marsha has supported her previous organisation as Chair of the BAME Staff Network. She is the most experienced BAME nurse in the organisation, working collaboratively with the senior management team to deliver tangible change.
Dr Nida Suri – West Hertfordshire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust
Emergency and Critical Healthcare Professional of the Year
Dr Nida Suri, Clinical Director of Emergency Medicine, has worked at West Hertfordshire Hospitals NHS Trust for the last ten years. Suri holds very senior roles within the organisation and regionally, such as Clinical Director and Vice-Chair of the Regional RCEM board.
Positive Action Project – Northeast Ambulance Service NHS Trust
Community Initiative of the Year
The Northeast Ambulance Service NHS Trust’s Positive Action Project help ethnic minorities link up with community groups for information on how to access services.
Community Development Outreach Team – Hywel Dda University Health Board Wales
Community Initiative of the Year
The Hywel Dda University Health Board launched a community initiative with tangible results for ethnic minorities living in Carmarthenshire, Ceredigion and Pembrokeshire to help them during the COVID-19 pandemic
Dr Akhtar Khan – Hywel Dda University Health Board, Wales
Mental Health Initiative of the Year
As a member of the BAME Advisory Group, Dr Khan represents the mental health directorate and other BAME staff. He also mentors BAME junior doctors and volunteers as a buddy for new doctors.
Dr Ugonna Chukwumaife – NHS & Rehoboth for Families
Health and Wellbeing Advocate of the Year
Dr Chukwumaife volunteers as the health coordinator for Rehoboth for families and young people; and has led numerous health and well-being advocacy projects for the BAME community within Trafford borough and beyond.
Sherifat Muhammad-Kamal – Muslimah Education Centre
Outstanding Contribution to Social Care
Sherifat is a pharmacist and currently the Vice President of the BAME PDA (Pharmacists Defence Association) Network. They founded the Muslimah Education Centre, which educates this community in various areas to promote personal and economic growth and empowerment.
Maaha Suleiman – CareAlgo
Outstanding Technology Contribution of the Year
Maaha founded CareAlgo a platform that provides care organisations and councils with cultural competency training, alongside a PaaS (platform as a service) tech platform which culturally matches care workers with care receivers.
Bisi Soledolu – The Shuri Network
Workforce Innovator of the Year
Bisi led an innovative digital nursing scholarship project with the Shuri Network (the first NHS network for ethnic minority women in health technology) to help nurses progress in digital health careers.
Dr Na’eem Ahmed – ChelWest NHS Trust
Workforce Innovator of the Year
Dr Na’eem Ahmed is engaged with BAME communities of staff to ensure they feel heard and the work delivered answers the questions of those who were bravely speaking up.
Jennifer Pearson, Miriam Coffie and Tom Warner – University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust, NHS England & NHS Improvement Midlands
Outstanding Corporate Achievement of the Year
The programme NHS England & NHS Improvement – Midlands is recognised and promoted as good practice to support ethnic minority nursing and midwifery career progression and representation.
Cheryl Samuels – NHS England and NHS Improvement
Outstanding Corporate Achievement of the Year
Launched in 2019, Cheryl’s programme aims to improve equality, diversity and inclusion for the HR Profession in the NHS.
See ME First Team – Whittington Health NHS Trust
Outstanding Achievement of the Year
Three staff members have created the See ME First initiative to promote equality, diversity and inclusion that has been included in the NHS Five Year National Race Equality Strategy.