THE ‘hidden heroes’ running York’s vaccination programme have won recognition with a host of awards for ‘outstanding performance during the pandemic.’

Three members of the Nimbuscare vaccination team at Askham Bar received individual awards, with a fourth award going to the whole team.

The Hidden Heroes initiative was established by four companies playing a key role in supporting General Practice with the pandemic: Dene Healthcare, Gama Healthcare, Interface Clinical Services and Practice Index.

Tom Jones, of Dene Healthcare, said the ‘amazing work’ being done in General Practice was too often overlooked.

Local GP partner Dr David Hammond received one of the awards after taking leave from his practice, York Medical Group, to lead the on-site service.

Nimbuscare chairman Prof Mike Holmes said he had ‘steadied the ship,’ helping to set up emergency treatment rooms and making sure the site was safe, often going over and above the call of duty.

He said York GP Dr Nick Bennett, another recipient, had been ‘almost ever present’ at the vaccination centre,adding:”He has supported the people – from volunteers to admin staff, to trained nurses and doctors, to fit into the team and to vaccinate the population in their hundreds of thousands.”

A third award went to Lead Nurse and Director Michelle Phillips, who had ‘really shone’ in leading the vaccination team, with her attention to detail ‘second to none,’ said Prof Holmes.

The final award went to the whole team, including healthcare professionals and admin staff, for the long hours they had put in in developing and running the national and local vaccination services at Askham Bar.