The National MyPorter Awards & MyCleaning Awards Return for 2024

It's that time of year again, when the unsung heroes of healthcare are set to bask in the limelight as we proudly announce the resurgence of the MyPorter Awards and MyCleaning Awards. Now in their fourth consecutive year, these prestigious accolades are dedicated to celebrating the invaluable contributions of Portering and Healthcare Cleaning professionals, whose pivotal role often goes unrecognised but greatly influences patient flow and positive outcomes.

The National MyCleaning Awards and MyPorter Awards are not just a recognition; they are a celebration of excellence within the healthcare workforce. This year, we invite you to light the path for someone you believe deserves that extra applause and acknowledgment. Beyond the accolades, those shortlisted by our distinguished panel of judges will partake in an unforgettable live ceremony set against the backdrop of central London. Here, they will revel in an inspiring evening of camaraderie with peers who share their passion for shaping the future of healthcare.

In association with NHS England, both awards ceremonies have got prominent attention, with esteemed figures such as Emma Brookes, Phil Shelley, Fiona Daly, and Simon Corben supporting last year's event. Emma and Phil serve as respected judges and will be joined this year by Tim Radcliffe, enhancing the panel further. The rigorous judging process is scheduled for mid-January.

Portering and Cleaning roles within the healthcare sector often operate behind the scenes, overshadowed by the broader world. This is your opportunity to ensure they receive the recognition they rightfully deserve. In recent years, the awards have achieved national attention, featuring prominently on platforms like Times Radio and Sky News. Notably, last year, Jemma & Danny Roscoe, crowned winners of the MyPorter Awards – Portering Team of The Year, took centre stage during an engaging interview on Sky News' The Kay Burley Show. These moments underscore the vital role played by Porters and Cleaners within the NHS, an integral part of a well-oiled machine.

Let us join hands to celebrate these unsung heroes once more. Waste no time; submit your nominations today.

Enter the MyPorter Awards

Enter the MyCleaning Awards

Nomination Categories:

MyPorter Awards

MyPorter – Porter of The Year Award

The Dennis Southern - Lifetime Achievement Award

Portering Team of The Year Award

Leadership of The Year Award

MyPorter – International Porter of The Year Award

Newcomer of The Year Award

Outstanding Contribution to Patient Experience Award

MyCleaning Awards

MyCleaning - Domestic of The Year Award

Lifetime Achievement Award

Healthcare Cleaning Team of The Year Award

Leadership of The Year Award

MyCleaning – International Domestic of The Year Award

Newcomer of The Year Award

MyAudit – Auditor of The Year Award

Get your nominations in now!

Enter the MyPorter Awards

Enter the MyCleaning Awards

For media enquiries and nominations, please contact GV Healthcare at gvhealthcare@globalviewsystems.co.uk or call 01482 772536.

Dublin man wins International Porter of The Year Award

From left to right: Mark Edwards, Craig McElroy, Ilie Pop

It’s February 21st 2023 and an unsuspecting Craig McElroy, Porter at Dublin’s Beaumont Hospital, is sat at a table beside his family and manager at a day of celebration for Healthcare Porters in London, England. Each award passes for such things as ‘Team of The Year’ and ‘Outstanding Contribution to Patient Experience’ unbeknown to Craig he is about to be named ‘International Porter of The Year’. Organisers were inspired by Craig’s nomination, sent in by his manager Ilie Pop – Portering Service Manager also of Beaumont Hospital, coupled with Ilie and Craig’s enthusiasm for the awards and for the celebration of a role that is often overlooked of its importance by that of the work of others within a hospital. It was these things which saw the organisers, GV Healthcare, who were working in association with the NHS in England to put on the ceremony, to create the bespoke award for Craig – deciding to keep it top secret until the day of the event, which saw Craig burst with excitement as his name was read out. Today sees Craig presented with his trophy in front of his colleagues and senior management – where he is known as “The Red Bull of the Portering Department” - at a specially arranged meeting at Beaumont Hospital, where he received a rapturous applause when going up to collect his award. Craig said: “It feels great – I was just happy to be nominated. I love working in this hospital and the people I work with, and being a Porter is great – it’s a gift. I was a little embarrassed (being presented the award in front of colleagues) but I was happy to see that they were all happy for me and cheering me on. I couldn’t be happier. I love giving them (the patients) the finest of service and getting the thanks (from them) at the end. I have great banter with the patients and I’ll just continue to treat them with the best of respect and love”

Craig McElroy with Beaumont Hospital Porters

Craig’s nomination came hot on the heels of him being named ‘Porter of The Year’ at Beaumont – all the more impressive with it being in his first year as a Porter. His manager Ilie Pop said: “His attitude in work has been the highest ever and the compliments Craig receives every day are the best we have heard in a long time. If you could multiply him going forward, delivery of service would be of a very high standard at all times. He’s not had a single day off sick, he is complimented each and every day he’s here and every team in the hospital wishes to work with him”. GV Healthcare’s Mark Edwards, who presented the award to Craig alongside Ilie, said: “It’s fantastic to be able to celebrate unsung healthcare heroes like Craig. We’ve been in contact with a number of hospitals across Ireland for a number of months now and have seen first-hand how the Irish really show support for their Porters and are keen to shout about the great, often underappreciated work they do. We’ve seen a number of hospitals in Ireland realising how much impact an efficient Portering service can have on the services provided by Doctors and Nurses, which has seen hospitals looking into investment in Portering to the benefit of patients with improved flow of patients through the hospital, alongside benefits to the Porters in terms of their wellbeing”.

Back in February, the Finalists attended a live conference during the day which saw them hear guest speakers talk to them about the future of portering, team work and portering peers who talked best practice and the need for Governments to acknowledge the expertise of portering with recognised qualifications. Guests then dined on a three-course meal before the live awards ceremony celebrated the great work done by these unsung heroes of the NHS, HSE and every other health board and institution present.

Fiona Daly - National Deputy Director of Estates at NHS England said at the event: “Today’s event has been brilliant, here, recognizing all the great work that is happening across healthcare with the portering services within Estates and Facilities – during times like the pandemic, the likes of the porters, the cleaners, the security guards – they kept hospitals going. They are the beating heart and it has been amazing to be here today recognizing all of their efforts not just for during the pandemic, but now as we move towards a period of recovery”.

The National MyPorter Awards 2023 Winners

Ebenezer Opalemo-Jimoh representing Victor Adjei - winner of the MyPorter Porter of The Year Winner

Victor Adjei, of Chase Farm Hospital in Enfield has this week been recognised by the NHS and awarded for his work as a porter, standing out for the judges among masses of entries from the UK & Ireland. A passionate person, dubbed a ‘ray of sunshine’ Victor never says ‘no’ to work and always goes the extra mile, with a smile on his face and willingness to apply his many skills wherever they are required, assisting on weekends and staying late where other shifts can’t be covered due to sickness or absence. Victor is an inspiration to his team because of his empathy and positivity. Team members emulate him because of the optimistic, dedicated way he cares for everyone around him. All his work as a porter was just the beginning for the NHS judges, when they found out how Victor had suffered through personal challenges, it became impossible not to see him as a worthy winner. Father to a very unwell child who still requires 24-hour care, he spent over a year at his child’s bedside at Great Ormond Street Hospital. Battling through dire prognoses, including the recommendation that he turn off his child’s life support, Victor slept on the floor of the hospital ward before travelling into work each day. Despite doctors’ advice that he should give up work to avoid this daily struggle, he refused, stating that living in the hospital gave him a clearer appreciation of how porters and other staff can be instrumental in a patient’s outlook. Stating: “I love what I do and the unique contribution we make to our patients’ recovery. This is my why”. This week, Victor found out he is the winner of the MyPorter – Porter of The Year Award at this years’ National MyPorter Awards – in association with NHS England. Taking place in central London, the National MyPorter Awards saw six awards presented to the finalists from across the country who made the NHS judges shortlist. The broad range of entries showed just why the NHS porters deserve to be honoured and praised, just like the Doctors and Nurses they work with often are. Nominations such as that for eventual winner of the Dennis Southern – Lifetime Achievement Award, which went to Robbie Graham. Robbie is a massive fan of Liverpool football Club and unfortunately in April 1989 when he was attending a match at Hillsborough Football Ground he was involved in a major incident that changed his life. He left that game with life changing injuries and had to rebuild his life and career path. After going back to college to complete studies in Health & Social Care, due to his injuries and disability he was unfortunately unable to go into full time employment, so he offered his services as a volunteer and joined a disabled Charity.

In 2004 Robbie decided to join the NHS and became a volunteer working with the portering team at Ormskirk District General Hospital. Robbie currently works 4 days a week and assists with several portering roles during his shift including delivering the post, assisting his colleagues in X-ray with transfers and also helps in Pharmacy.

Father-Daughter duo Jemma & Danny Roscoe at Northamptonshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust were also winners; Jemma recently attended site at 6am to assist with flooding, she moved sandbags and assisted with cleaning to minimise damage to the hospital. She always finds a solution to any issue that is presented to her, from ensuring special diet meals are delivered to the wards to fixing broken pipes at 5am. During Covid Danny Roscoe gave his personal mobile number to the wards and offered to assist with oxygen at any time of the day or night. Danny is the “go to” man on his hospital site, if there is a problem he will fix it! He frequently comes in during the festive period in his own time dressed as Santa and will sit and chat with patients in the local hospice – these examples of their great work resulted in them winning the ‘Portering Team of The Year Award’. The Finalists attended a live conference during the day which saw them hear guest speakers talk to them about the future of portering, team work and portering peers who talked best practice and the need for the Government to acknowledge the expertise of portering with a recognised qualification. Guests then dined on a three-course meal before the live awards ceremony celebrated the great work done by these unsung heroes of the NHS.

Fiona Daly - National Deputy Director of Estates at NHS England said at the event: “Today’s event has been brilliant, here, recognizing all the great work that is happening across the NHS with the portering services within Estates and Facilities – during times like the pandemic, the likes of the porters, the cleaners, the security guards – they kept the NHS going. They are the beating heart of NHS and it has been amazing to be here today recognizing all of their efforts not just for during the pandemic, but now as we move towards a period of recovery”.

Winners

Porter of The Year Award

Victor Adjei - Chase Farm Hospital (Royal Free London)

The Dennis Southern For Endeavour Award

Robbie Graham - Southport & Ormskirk Hospital NHS Trust

Team of The Year Award

Jemma and Danny Roscoe - Northamptonshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust

Leadership of The Year Award

Ryan Lindsay - Barnet Hospital (Royal Free London)

Outstanding Contribution to Patient Experience Award

Joshua Hawkins - Royal Berkshire NHS Foundation Trust

Newcomer of The Year Award

Jack Teague - Royal Surrey County Hospital

International Porter of The Year

Craig McElroy - Beaumont Hospital

Sky News Interview