We've got plenty to celebrate this week, as the shortlist for this year's Nursing Times Awards has been released - with CHFT being shortlisted four times. 

Specialist Nurse, Anthony Thomas, has been shortlisted for two Nursing Times Awards - one in the Ingrid Fuchs Cancer Nursing category and the other in Patient Safety Improvement category, for his work with patients suffering from neuroendocrine tumours.

Anthony has also been shortlisted for a Macmillan Professionals Excellence Award in the Whatever it Takes category for the same work. He has been working to ensure all patients with this particular type of cancer - which is the fastest growing cancer type in the UK - have equal access to healthcare support and treatment.

Anthony said: "I was initially speechless and humbled. I'm grateful to see that the work gone in to this has been recognised at a national level and that it will raise awareness for the cause of delivering a service that these under-represented patients deserve."

The My Forever Box initiative has also been shortlisted in the Team of the Year category for its multi-disciplinary approach to improve care for pre-bereaved children. This service was provided by our palliative care team, including Macmillan Cancer Information Manager, Mandy Davies, and Specialist Nurses, Rebecca Fletcher and Anthony Thomas, and our children's services. The project was also funded at one stage by our Charity and supported by the buying team.

Lead Nurse for Children and Young People, Julie Mellor, said: "Being nominated for a Nursing Times Award inspires me to dream big - from one little acorn (helping one child, one nurse on one day in CHFT) to the potential of a nationwide forest - we'll continue to grow the concept of My Forever Box for all children and families facing the loss of a loved one.”

And last but not least, our brilliant BLOSM team have also been shortlisted - for the second year running. This year they're shortlisted in the Critical and Emergency Care category. Service Lead, Alistair Christie, said: "It is incredibly exciting to be nominated again. It's a testament to the hard work and dedication shown by everyone within the team and the support of colleagues both within the trust and externally. Over the last 12-months we have strived to develop our service, further embedding the principles of trauma informed practice to better support service users attending ED."

Good luck to all our teams and individuals - they'll be heading to the Awards ceremony in October.