WORKERS in the health sector have been recognised for their dedication to the service as part of the 70th birthday celebrations of the NHS.

Nine members of staff either living in Basingstoke the area or working across the healthcare sector in the borough have been nominated to represent the town in a national competition.

These nominations are part of the NHS 70 Awards, set up to recognise the contributions made by individuals and teams who work in and alongside the NHS.

When the awards were announced, Basingstoke’s MP Maria Miller asked people to put forward their unsung heroes of the health servic.

After being inundated with nominees, Mrs Miller has narrowed the list down to the following representatives:

-Venus Kan, a north Hampshire resident who is vocational services manager at Broadmoor Hospital,

-Dr Tanuj Lad’s ambulatory care unit at Basingstoke hospital,

-Sue Martin, who runs the Six Steps Programme at St Michael’s Hospice,

-Paul Hutton, who leads the community palliative care team at St Michael’s Hospice,

Richard Hindley’s urology department at Basingstoke hospital,

-Sue Price, trustee at Headway Basingstoke, and long-time NHS speech and language therapist.

As well as these individuals three organisations have also been put forward, which are:

-Basingstoke School Nursing Team,

-the Alcohol Intervention Team at Basingstoke hospital,

-and the Moving Forward course delivered by charity Breast Cancer Care, in partnership with Basingstoke hospital.

Mrs Miller said: “I am very proud of our local NHS and care services and am delighted to be taking part in the NHS 70 Parliamentary Awards as a way of recognising and thanking the people who work or support those services.

“All parts of the NHS and other organisations were invited to nominate individuals and organisations for these 70th Birthday Awards.

“So many people make an outstanding contribution in our area and there were some wonderful nominations – and it has been all but impossible to put forward a shortlist of those to represent Basingstoke in the national competition.

“I wish them all the best of luck.”

The awards will be held on Wednesday, 4 July 2018, the day before the NHS’s 70th birthday