DOCTORS, nurses and staff from care homes across York are celebrating after picking up excellence awards voted for by patients.

York Healthwatch - a group monitoring and championing health and social care - has awarded gongs to those who have excelled over the last 12 months.

The Make a Difference awards are voted on through the group’s feedback centre on their website, where people can leave comments and name individual members of staff or teams who they feel have made a difference to their care.

This year's awards recognised individuals and teams from hospital departments, care homes, GP services, opticians and pharmacies, who patients and relatives felt had provided exceptional service.

The 2017 winners included a range of staff and teams from York Hospital, including Occupational Therapy and the Maternity Unit, along with Dr Clare McLure, from Dalton Terrace Surgery, the Musculoskeletal injury assessment team at Clifton Park Hospital, Fulford Nursing Home staff team, staff from Specsavers in Low Ousegate.

York, Lifestyles Care Home staff team was also among the winners, with Andrea Brown, from The Retreat, and Abigail Platts, from White Cross Court Podiatry Clinic.

Siân Balsom, Healthwatch York Manager, said: “Congratulations to all our Making a Difference Award winners.

“They have all exceeded people’s expectations in different ways and demonstrate what excellent practice looks like to other health and social care providers in York.

“Healthwatch York is committed to improving health and social care services in our city and we know that sharing good practice is as important as challenging bad.

“I encourage more people to rate and review services via our Feedback Centre so that we can celebrate more of the excellent services we know are out there as well as holding poor services to account.”