Senior nurse and Project Manager Jo Womack is down to the final three in the NHS Leadership Academy's search for the Patients' Champion 2015.

Jo, a nurse for more than 34 years, is the vital link between our clinicians and developers and brings them together to ensure all our new Trust facilities are as patient-friendly as possible.

She's been key to the new Acre Mills Outpatients Centre and she involved the patients group from the start to the finish to ensure people with seeing and hearing impairments and wheelchair users found the building easy to access and use. As a result, they cut the ribbon on the proud day we opened it in February. (see attached photo)

Director of Estates, Lesley Hill, nominated Jo for the award. She said: "Joanne really goes the extra mile by continuing to work some shifts within the building to make sure it continues to develop the care she created through her leadership of the project. This is despite her fact her role is very demanding, but really shows how much she cares.

"A final accolade must come from one of our regular elderly patients, who, on using the service, declared it to be our own private hospital... but for everyone!"

Jo, said: "I am proud to have been a part of the team behind Acre Mills. It's great to be able to use my nursing experience in this way to help shape our new facility to make it as good as it can be for our patients. They put in a lot of time and effort to support us throughout the whole project from start to finish so when it came to the ribbon cutting there could be no other choice in my view!"

The finals are next week in Leeds.

Go, Jo!!!!