The event, which was funded by charitable donations to the hospital trust intended to treat staff for their efforts over the pandemic, was organised in order to offer local NHS workers the chance to spend some quality time with their colleagues and families.
Richard Parker OBE, Chief Executive of DBTH said: “Over the past 18 months, every single member of Team DBTH has worked tirelessly to adapt to new ways of working which has allowed us to continue to care for patients throughout the Covid-19 pandemic. A large number of them have also spent a lot of time away from their families and they themselves have had to deal courageously with additional worries and anxieties of having a loved one fighting this disease on the frontline.
“We want to recognise these truly heroic contributions during the pandemic, and we thought the Yorkshire Wildlife Park provided the perfect opportunity for this. The park is set over hundreds of acres of land which will allows us all to adhere to social distancing guidance, whilst also coming together to celebrate our recent achievements, during what has been the most challenge period the Trust has ever encountered. It is a small gesture, but the least we could do for our amazing team.”
In the months leading up to the event, hospital staff nominated colleagues who they thought deserved special recognition for their work over the last 18 months. During the event, the winners of the awards, all from various hospital departments which contributed to the Covid-19 response, received animal experiences for going above and beyond.
The experiences, sponsored by a range of businesses who wanted to show their support to our NHS Heroes, gave the lucky winners the opportunity to feed and tend to animals within their enclosures, including wallabies, otters, meerkats and giraffes.
Rebecca Blanshard, who works in Doncaster’s Emergency Department, was named as the Trust’s Mentor of the Year and shared her ‘meet the meerkats’ experience with her two young children who bravely supported their mum as she worked on the front line during the pandemic.
Rebecca was nominated for the award by her colleagues who recognised the extra effort she put into making new-comers to the department feel supported and settled, despite the challenges of working in a high-pressure environment and the additional challenges presented by Covid-19.
Rebecca said: “I was so humbled and pleased to be recognised and to hear that our students and new starters in the Emergency Department felt supported and well looked after. It was a great day and a wonderful opportunity to spend some quality time with our families all together after a demanding and challenging time.”
Richard Parker said: “This day was made possible by the support of the communities we serve and the generosity of our sponsors. We’d like to thank everyone who made a charitable donation, big or small and to all of our sponsors.”
The businesses who sponsored awards were: Tusker Direct, NHS Professionals, Dr Doctor, University of Sheffield, Doncaster College, P&OD Partners, ModuleCo and Integrated Health Projects.