NHS mental health and learning disability staff were honoured as several Tameside teams took home top accolades at an awards ceremony.
Nine awards were handed out at the annual evening held by Pennine Care NHS Foundation Trust – which delivers mental health, learning disability and autism services locally.
The Pennine Care People Awards, now in its fourth year, welcomed 400 guests and showcased the achievements of 27 finalists – selected from more than 500 nominations.
Hosted by broadcaster Stephanie Hirst, the evening featured powerful short films highlighting each finalist’s impact, a heartfelt patient thank-you message, and a tribute to much-loved nurse Erika Slater, who died last year after more than five decades of service.
Pennine Care chief executive Anthony Hassall said the awards were a powerful reminder of what makes our organisation so special.
“Our incredible colleagues are the beating heart of the NHS. In the face of ongoing challenges, their compassion, innovation and resilience continue to change lives every day.”
Trust chair Claudette Elliott reflected on the “warmth, hope and pride” in the room, saying: “As a former auxiliary nurse and social worker, I understand how demanding frontline care can be – yet our colleagues continue to show up, care deeply, and make a difference every single day.”
Two members of the Tameside and Glossop involvement team, Daniel Beresford and Rob Baker, won the Inclusion Champion Award for their innovative “human library” approach, which brought staff and people with lived experience together for honest and stigma-busting conversations.
The Ray of Sunshine Award went to Jessica Rimmer, a dementia practitioner with the Tameside and Glossop older people’s community mental health team. Judges praised her empathy, creativity and ability to keep people well at home.
Five Living Well services, including those covering Tameside and Glossop, secured the Great Improvement Award for closing gaps between primary and specialist mental health services through a “no wrong door” model.
Meanwhile, the Brilliant Partnership Award was awarded to the trust’s new starters project team, credited with transforming the onboarding experience for new staff.
More details about the winners and finalists can be found at www.penninecare.nhs.uk/awards2025