SEVEN AWARD WINNERS PRESENTED WITH TEDDY TROPHIES AT SCOTTISH CHILDREN’S HEALTH AWARDS

The national Scottish Children’s Health awards have been created to celebrate courageous children and young people and those who are making a difference to their health and wellbeing. There are seven awards in total which were unveiled during Scottish Children’s Health Week (4-10 September 2023).

AWARD 1 | William Kilpatrick presented with Young Achiever Award at Scottish Children’s Health Awards

The Young Achiever Award recognises a child or young person who has shown great determination and courage in their life – and this year’s winner, William Kilpatrick, from Glasgow, is a shining example. William’s heart condition was diagnosed before he was born. At just 28 weeks doctors discovered he had no heart valve. The first three years of his life were spent in hospital, and he endured endless infections, low blood pressure and severe bouts of vomiting – all associated with his condition. Before the age of five he had undergone two open-heart surgeries.

On choosing their Young Achiever, the judges said that this award is always one of the most difficult categories to consider. They were once again blown away with the entries this year and in choosing their winner they have recognised an extraordinary individual. They said: “Our winner has shown remarkable spirit in overcoming adversity. He goes above and beyond to achieve so much to support others and to inspire others to overcome their own difficulties. He is a wonderful example to us all.”

Our award winner is now approaching his 15th birthday, is still undergoing treatment, and has just had a pacemaker fitted. His dream is to become a police officer and he’s hoping to sign up to become a police youth volunteer.

His mum Kat says she is “so proud of the young man he’s becoming. There’s a lot of good things for him to look forward to; his future is smiling!”

On receiving news that he had won the award he was ecstatic. Read William’s full story here: https://www.childrenshealthscotland.org/william-kilpatrick-presented-with-young-achiever-award-at-scottish-childrens-health-awards/

AWARD 2 | Health Visitor Nicola Boyle presented with a Scottish Children’s Health Award

The Children’s Choice Award recognises someone who has made a significant difference to a child or young person undergoing treatment in hospital, at home or in the community. It’s a “thank you” in recognition of the difference they’ve made to a child’s world. The winner within this category is Nicola Boyle.

On choosing their winner for this award the judges said: “We feel that our winner is a great example of someone who goes above and beyond to make a difference to patients and families. She is a Health Visitor and a GIRFEC named person who has shown excellence in her role, particularly supporting parents of premature babies whilst sharing their journey in 'person centred care’. This work often happens in the background, clearing obstacles for families whilst making difficult situations as easy as she can make it. We also thought it was notable that our chosen winner has done all this work with a family who had lost trust in the health system because of their experiences, and that she had gone some way to restoring that trust.”

On hearing she had won this award, our winner said: "I am so grateful for the recognition, thank you. The award has really assured me that I am doing what I try to do every day in my work and help all children and parents meet their needs and live a happy life. I love my job, but when I hear good news about kids’ health situations or their achievements I have helped with, it really makes me feel I can do my work and makes it all so worthwhile.”

Read Nicola’s full story here: https://www.childrenshealthscotland.org/health-visitor-nicola-boyle-presented-with-a-scottish-childrens-health-award/

AWARD 3 | Juliet Harris, Director of Together, wins Healthcare Rights Award

The Healthcare Rights Award recognises a person or team who has taken significant steps to advance the health rights of children and young people in relation to the UNCRC, in school, at hospital or in the community. The winner is Juliet Harris, director of Together.

On choosing their winner the judges said: “Our winner is an outstanding rights defender and a strong advocate for the rights of children and young people. We are so impressed with her many years of dedication and commitment to defending rights, and without doubt she is one of the strong leaders forging the way in the promotion of the UNCRC in relation to children and young people in Scotland.”

On hearing that she had won this award our winner said: “Winning the Healthcare Rights Award means a great deal to me and the team. It feels like a strong acknowledgment of our efforts to champion the human rights of children and young people, particularly their right to health.”

For the full story click here: https://www.childrenshealthscotland.org/juliet-harris-director-of-together-wins-healthcare-rights-award/

AWARD 4 | Young Person’s Team at Fife Rape and Sexual Assault Centre presented with Improving Life Experiences Award

The Improving Life Experiences Award recognises the commitment and expertise of those who have made a significant difference to improving life experiences of a child or young person. Our judges were looking for nominees who have made a difference to the confidence and resilience of a child or young person, to help them deal with difficulties. The winner is the Young Person’s Team at Fife Rape and Sexual Assault Centre (FRASAC).

On selecting their winner, the judges said they how impressed they were with the work undertaken by this team, supporting individuals who are often hard to reach, and so a high level of flexibility is required, meeting young people where and when it suits them. They said: “Often the team is not able to provide the complete solution themselves, as that often necessitates supporting victims through the criminal justice system. We very much admire the work of this team and believe it is a great example of providing much needed support to young people who are hard to reach and in great need of their amazing help!”

On hearing the news that they had won this award Zoe Henderson of FRASC said: “Trauma work is hard, and the team show up every day for the young people who often struggle with their mental health. We see a lot of young people who have been shut down, not believed, carry guilt and shame – and the team listens, believes and respects them and gives them a safe space to explore their feelings and emotions. It means a lot for us to be recognised for our hard work and commitment we provide to ensure that young people have quality services to access and opportunities to improve their self-esteem, confidence, and outlook for their future.”

Read the full story here https://www.childrenshealthscotland.org/young-persons-team-at-fife-rape-and-sexual-assault-centre-presented-with-improving-life-experiences-award/

AWARD 5 | Nurse Team Leader in Fife, Lisa Fisher receives a Scottish Children’s Health Award

Children are precious and so are their health and wellbeing. When parents leave their children in the care of practitioners, they also hand over responsibility for their health and wellbeing. The Health and Wellbeing Award recognises an individual or team who has made a difference to the health and wellbeing of a child or young person. This could have been achieved in school, at hospital or in the community through treatment or advocacy. The winner of this category is Lisa Fisher.

Lisa, together with a dedicated team of staff, works within specialist schools in Fife. She provides on-site nursing care and support to children and staff within school, which facilitates children to access an educational curriculum suited to their needs and abilities. The children all have Neurodevelopmental or neurodiverse issues, including physical and/or developmental conditions and communication difficulties, and the team have vast knowledge and skills in caring for complex needs children.

On choosing their winner for this award the judges said: “Our winner showcases a great example of vital work carried out in the background, which is massively important and impactful to those individuals and families which she supports. The idea of our winner being “a second mum” also comes through strongly, and her ability to wear several hats beyond her core role is really impressive.”

Read the full story here: https://www.childrenshealthscotland.org/nurse-team-leader-in-fife-lisa-fisher-receives-a-scottish-childrens-health-award/

AWARD 6 | Health playworker from Fife, Joyce Nolan, wins a Scottish Children’s Health Award

The Health-Related Play Award recognises a special individual, or team, who has made a significant difference to a child’s life through health-related play. This difference could have been achieved in school, at hospital or in the community. The winner of this category is Joyce Nolan.

In choosing the winner for this award the judges said: “Our winner is a fantastic Health Play Worker who helps to support every child and their family who attend the Hospital Play Service, which she developed and delivered. She uses play to assist children and young people on their hospital journey and is a shining example to us all in terms of creative thinking and drive. Her work has helped many children have a more positive hospital experience."

The nominee for our winner told us that she: "is an inspirational advocate for children and young people of varying abilities. She’s a champion of the importance of health play and supporting the individual child’s health journey to minimise anxiety and avoidable distress and maximise big fun."

On hearing that she had won this award Joyce said that: “she feels honoured and privileged to have worked with so many resilient children and families over the years and that winning this award honours their bravery and courage”.

Read the full story here: https://www.childrenshealthscotland.org/health-playworker-joyce-nolan-wins-a-scottish-childrens-health-award/

AWARD 7 | Dr Patricia Jackson receives Lifetime Achievement Award at Scottish Children’s Health Awards

The Lifetime Achievement Award is presented to a health professional who has made outstanding contributions to the health and wellbeing of children and young people during their working life.

This year the judges chose to recognise the career of the now retired Dr Patricia (McClure) Jackson who was nominated for the award by Dr Jonathan Sher, because “she is an enormously knowledgeable, talented and dedicated paediatrician who has always placed the health, wellbeing, rights and best interests of children and young people first and foremost.”

On choosing their winners the judges said: “We were particularly impressed with Patricia’s work in Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders. She has also been a leader throughout her career as a consultant community paediatrician and academic involved in neurodevelopmental care. Patricia has supported the rights of children with disabilities both in clinical practice and beyond this to the holistic care of children and families through her work with the Down's Syndrome Association and her research at the University of Edinburgh. In retirement Dr Jackson continues her high profile as President of the Scottish Paediatric Society and a respected teacher of medical and other health professional trainees and a charity Trustee.”

Read Patricia’s full story here: https://www.childrenshealthscotland.org/dr-patricia-jackson-receives-lifetime-achievement-award-at-scottish-childrens-health-awards/