NHS Forth Valley staff and teams have won four national awards at this year’s Scotland’s Health Awards.

The awards, which are run in partnership with NHS Scotland and the Scottish Government, aim to recognise the outstanding contribution made by health and social care workers across the country.

NHS Forth Valley’s Children’s Speech and Language Therapy Team scooped an amazing two national awards – winning both the Innovation Award and the Tackling Health Inequalities Award for their work to provide services, advice and support in local schools and nurseries across the Forth Valley area. This innovative approach has improved access, reduced waiting times and delivered fantastic outcomes for local children. These include improved literacy skills, fewer exclusions from school and increased attendance levels for pupils with additional support needs.

Charmaine Black, a Community Learning Disability Nurse, won the prestigious Nurse Award which aims to recognise high quality and compassionate nursing care. Charmaine was described as a shining example of what person-centred nursing care truly looks like and was praised, not only for her clinical expertise, but also her empathy, kindness and dedication that transforms the lives of people with learning disabilities and ensures they feel respected and heard.

NHS Forth Valley’s prison healthcare team at HMP Stirling won the Unsung Heroes Award. This award, which was decided through a public vote, aims to recognise individuals or teams who make a meaningful but often unrecognised difference to the lives of others. The healthcare team at HMP Stirling delivers compassionate care in a sometimes challenging prison setting, supporting some of Scotland’s most vulnerable women and young people and helping to transforms lives.

NHS Forth Valley staff were also finalists in a number of award categories – Jackie Rutherford a Senior Charge Midwife at Forth Valley Royal Hospital was a finalist for the Midwife Award, NHS Forth Valley’s Women and Children’s Bereavement Team were finalists for the Tackling Health Inequalities Award.

Ross McGuffie, Chief Executive of NHS Forth Valley, said: “It is great to see the dedication and commitment of local staff being recognised at this national award ceremony.  I would like to congratulate all our winners and finalists and thank everyone who took the time to nominate a local team, service or individual.”