Shailesh Vara MP has congratulated two Health organisations in his constituency of North West Cambridgeshire which have been shortlisted for the NHS Parliamentary Awards.

The Complex Cases Team at Cambridge & Peterborough CCG has been chosen as a regional finalist in the Excellence in Healthcare Category, as has the Cambridge & Peterborough Refugee Wellness Service in the Health Equalities Award Category.

The Complex Cases Team carries out the Care Needs Test, which enables patients with complex continuing healthcare needs to be discharged from hospital whilst meeting their ongoing individual needs. This is a huge comfort to the individual patients and crucially, creates space in hospitals for other patients. Over 800 patients and their families have benefitted from the hard work of this team.

The second successful team, the Refugee Wellbeing Service, works to ensure vulnerable Syrian refugees in the region can have access to healthcare within their initial 12 months of arrival in the UK.  Over the past year, the team has utilised the resources made available through the Vulnerable Persons Resettlement Scheme to support and provide healthcare to 48 families that have resettled in Cambridgeshire and Peterborough. In October 2019, the team gained recognition from the Home Office as leading the way nationally in implementing the scheme.  

Following the announcement Mr Vara said:

“My congratulations to both organisations for being shortlisted for these Awards. They have come through a strong group of nominees and are rightly being commended for their dedication and hard work in and alongside the NHS.

It is a great achievement and I am pleased they have been recognised for their outstanding work. I wish them the best of luck as they progress further in the competition.”

The regional champions will be judged by a national panel made up of senior clinicians, union leaders, former winners and patient representatives, with the overall winners announced at a special awards ceremony held in Parliament on Wednesday 7 July – the week of the NHS’ birthday.