The New NHS Alliance President's Award

Main Category: Primary Care / General Practice
Article Date: 17 Aug 2007 - 2:00 PDT

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The NHS Alliance annual Acorn Awards are well established as the most prestigious in primary care.

Now the Alliance has launched a new, open category: the President's Award. Professor Chris Drinkwater, NHS Alliance president, explained:

"No matter how many categories we can think of, primary care delivers more. This Award is for all that excellent work that doesn't fit into our existing Acorn Awards - perhaps in areas we haven't even thought of. "There is a saying in general practice that if you ask questions, all you get is answers. For instance, if you ask how he or she is sleeping, the patient will answer that question, but might not tell you about something else that is significant. "The President's Award is for all that important and excellent work that we didn't ask questions about."

The Award will be made to the team that can demonstrate the best in primary care:

-- Delivering excellence in patient care alongside first class resource management
-- Solid, demonstrable achievement
-- Thinking outside the box.

No matter what particular field of operation, applications are welcome from everyone who believes they have a good project or have created lasting worthwhile change. There are no restrictions and applications do not have to fit the existing nine categories.

That can include specific clinical areas such as mental health or palliative care. New ways of working developed by PCT or practice managers are equally relevant. Whatever it is you are doing, if it is good, we want to hear about it.

The closing date is 14th September, so find out more about the President's Award and the Acorn Awards today. Go to the NHS Alliance website: http://www.nhsalliance.org.

1. The NHS Alliance is the independent body that represents primary care. Its membership includes PCTs, GP practices and other primary care organisations. Individual members include clinicians, managers and non-executives. The Alliance's multi-professional base means it is the only organisation that is able to bring PCTs and practices together.

http://www.nhsalliance.org