Awards Ceremonies

Golden Stars is our annual staff awards ceremony which replaces the former Hull University Teaching Hospitals Trust awards Golden Hearts, and the Northern Lincolnshire and Goole NHS Foundation Trust Our Stars event.

Nominations open!

Nominations are now open. Please ensure you read the award category criteria, judging protocol and terms and conditions (at the bottom of this page) in full before submitting a nomination.

Patients and visitors can nominate under the Healthcare Heroes category only.

Award categories

This year’s event will take place in October at The Baths Hall in Scunthorpe. Nominations open Friday 4 April. The award categories are as follows:

1. EXCELLENCE IN RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT

This award will go to an individual or team which can demonstrate an outstanding and innovative contribution to research and development.

Nominations may score more highly if they can show how this person or team has:

• Successfully delivered a clinical or non-clinical trial with excellent results
• Promoted research as a core component of Group thinking
• Generated funding bids, training opportunities, projects, partnerships and participants.
• Collaborated across the North and South bank to successfully implement the research and findings.

2. EXCELLENCE IN IMPROVEMENT AND INNOVATION

This award recognises individuals or teams who have taken strides to constantly improve and enhance the services they provide. This could be through a formal quality improvement project, or not – using quality improvement methodology

Nominations will score more highly if your application includes details of the following:

• A compelling reason to make a change or improvement.
• Evidence that an improvement has been made in outcomes/experience
• The significant impact this has had on patient care, and evidence to showcase this.
• Examples of patient and/or staff engagement, providing examples of creativity and any teamwork that enhanced the improvement.

3. HEALTHCARE HEROES

This award gives patients and their families the opportunity to tell us about their NHS heroes, the people who made a real difference at their time of need, improved their experience and created a lasting positive impact.

Nominations will score more highly if you can show how this person or team has:

• Demonstrated compassion and caring above the call of duty
• Listened to and acted upon feedback from patients/service users
• Describes the significant positive impact that they had on this patient/service user.

4. OUTSTANDING FLOW PROJECT

A nod to the FLOW campaign launched across the group in 2024, this award recognises the efforts to improve flow throughout our hospitals and community services – whether that’s a small initiative in your department to reduce waste or improve efficiencies or a larger scale project across your care group, trust, group or even our region. You could be focused on improving the flow of finances, people or careers.

Your nomination will score more highly if you can show how your project has:

• Engaged with key stakeholders to make it a success
• Reduced operational pressure, for instance improving the number of discharges from hospital
• Resulted in an improvement to the care we provide staff or patients
• Resulted in a demonstrable reduction in waste – whether that be products or processes
• Led to a more efficient way or working

5. OUTSTANDING CONTRIBUTION TO DIGITAL INNOVATION

This award will go to an individual or team who have significantly transformed patient care or patient /hospital procedures and administration, or non-clinical services, though the introduction of innovative digital solutions.

Nominations may score more highly if they can show how this person or team has:

• Identified the need for the digital solution and the outcome this will achieve
• Improved patient outcomes as a result of the digital solution; providing data and statistics where possible
• Collaborated with stakeholders and other team members to introduce the digital solution
• Sought feedback from patients and staff on the effectiveness and usability of the solution

6. EXCELLENCE IN EQUALITY, DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION

Recognising a person or team which promotes equality, diversity and inclusion for service users, staff or the community.

You may score more highly if you can show how this person or team has:

• Enhanced care for service users and/or colleagues through a sustained and passionate commitment to inclusion
• Has raised the profile of inclusion within their organisation
• Has contributed to an improvement in a specific area of EDI, including: equality of access to opportunities, recruitment or networking. This can be for staff and/or patients.

7. INSPIRATIONAL LEADER

In recognition of an inspiring leader who motivates and encourages their team to achieve great things. The winner will be a compassionate and visionary role model for staff. They do not need to be a senior manager, as we find leadership at all levels.

You will score more highly if you can evidence how this person has:

• Led their team to excellent performance or improved their team/dept service significantly
• Developed a team of engaged, involved staff who enjoy coming to work
• Involved staff in decision-making, encouraged staff to make suggestions for change and enabled them to deliver improvements
• Provided ongoing and regular support to an individual
• Constantly strives to improve themselves in order to continuously develop their skills as a leader.

8. RISING STAR AWARD

This award looks to celebrate those taking their first steps in their NHS career- whether that’s a younger member of the team, an apprentice, or someone who’s new to the NHS. They will have demonstrated a commitment and professionalism in their service and acted as a role model for the Trust. 

Your nomination will score more highly if you can show how this person has:

• Excelled in their role
• Helped to improve the team/department or service
• Contributed significantly to the delivery of great care/patient experience/safety etc.

9. UNSUNG HERO

Working tirelessly behind the scenes, they rarely receive recognition or acclaim for the vital work they do day in day out to keep our services running smoothly. This person largely goes unnoticed, but now is their time to shine. They may work in an area of the Group which is less high profile but their contribution is essential.

Your nomination will score more highly if you can show how this person has:

• Consistently excelled in their role
• Helped to improve the team/department/service/trust
• Contributed to the delivery of great care/patient experience/safety etc.
• Has acted as a role model for staff and or patients/service users, providing a consistent approach to their role.

10. OUTSTANDING CLINICAL TEAM

The winning clinical team will have great team spirit and sense of collective purpose. They will communicate and engage well with their colleagues and other parts of the Group and will have excelled themselves in the last 12 months with an inspirational effort.

You may score more highly if your application includes details of the following:

• How the team contributes to the delivery of great care, and shows excellent team spirit and camaraderie in doing that
• Specific examples of where the team has excelled itself and where they have demonstrated the Trust values/behaviours
• Details of excellent communication, staff engagement, service improvements and partnership working either within or outside of the Trust

11. OUTSTANDING SUPPORT TEAM

The winning support team will have a great team spirit and sense of collective purpose. They will communicate and engage well with their colleagues and other parts of the Trust and will have excelled themselves in the last 12 months with an inspirational effort.

You may score more highly if your application includes details of the following:

• How the team contributes to the delivery of great care, and shows excellent team spirit and camaraderie in doing that
• Specific examples of where the team has excelled itself and where they have demonstrated the Trust values/behaviours
• Details of excellent communication, staff engagement, service improvements and partnership working either within or outside of the Trust

12. PARTNERSHIP AND GROUP WORKING AWARD

This award will go to the individual or team which can best demonstrate an improvement or extraordinary success through working with services and departments across the group, and other key partners.

Your nomination will score more highly if you can show how this person or team has:

• Created and sustained a purposeful relationship, demonstrating excellent engagement and communication
• Identified and articulated a clear understanding of the need for the partnership, and the benefits that have resulted from it.
• Showcases how the team are working as a Group for the benefit of patients across the Humber Health Partnership
• Provided evidence that the partnership is helping to achieve strategic objectives and delivered clear outcomes.

13. LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD

The winning individual will have dedicated at least 25 years of their career to the NHS. They will truly reflect the 6Cs: Care, Compassion, Competence, Courage, Communication, Commitment; and embody the values of the organisation.

You will score more highly if you can show how this person has:

• Demonstrated altruism and compassion in their working life
• Committed their career to improving services for the benefit of patients and/or staff
• Consistently achieved a high standard of performance in their role
• Acted as an inspiration and role model to others

14. CHIEF EXECUTIVE’S AWARD

Our Chief Executive will choose a winner from our Shining Lights awards scheme.

Shining Lights gives staff the chance to tell us about the things that have made them proud to work for the NHS and our Group. Every day the NHS works miracles but a lot of the time these go unheard. However big or small we are encouraging staff to post their Shining Lights on the message board we have set up especially for this purpose. The Chief Executive will choose a winner from submissions made over the previous 12 months.

15. CHAIRMAN’S OUTSTANDING CONTRIBUTION TO CARE AWARD

A surprise award, to recognise an outstanding contribution to patient care – it could be a team or individual and the winner will be revealed on the night.

Sponsorship opportunities

If you would like to get involved and sponsor Golden Stars 2025, please contact [email protected] or [email protected]

Previous winners

View a gallery of our 2024 winners on Flickr:

Shining Lights scheme

Nominations open all year round! The Shining Lights recognition scheme celebrates staff within NHS Humber Health Partnership who go the extra mile to brighten the days of patients, staff, and visitors. Whether it’s a kind word, a thoughtful gesture, or simply easing someone’s anxiety, these small acts make a huge difference. They’re what make us proud of our local hospitals!

Tell us about the individuals or teams who have been a Shining Light for you or someone you know. Share their act of kindness and how it made a positive impact.