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Friday, October 26, 2012

The thing about retinal screeners is that they have a keen eye for minutiae, and a fine attention to detail that others can only envy. But we miss the bleeding obvious. Unless it's a pre-retinal haemorrhage.

It's five months now since our NHS Trust launched this year's Hospital Star Awards, and invited patients, staff and readers of The Argus (who are undoubtedly the best judges of character) to nominate suitable candidates in various categories. A month later, the list of nominees was published, and a few weeks after that, in late July, the winners were announced. In September, those winners attended a glittering awards ceremony at the Brighton Corn Exchange, to which mere mortals like myself weren't invited. Or maybe we just chose not to attend. I can't really remember.

Either way, a mixture of boredom and nostalgia led to me spending some time idly perusing the list of nominees last night, at which point I noticed something to which I'd previously been blind. Click on this link and scroll down - way down - way, way down to the very bottom of the page, and the category of 'Good News Story of the Year'. It's the section with the least nominations, which is appropriate, as the awards are sponsored by The Argus, who rarely have anything positive to say about us. But here are the few good news stories that were up for an award...


WTF. No, seriously, what the bloody hell's going on? I was nominated as one of the good news stories of the year??? And I didn't even notice??? Back in June, I wrote an entire article for my departmental newsletter about the fact that two of my colleagues were nominated in category number 8, and I completely failed to spot that I was up for an award myself. It beggars belief. As does the fact that I'm listed alongside the Trust's infection control record and our newly won status as a Major Trauma Centre, as a good news story???

Obviously I think I'm great, and deserving of both an award and a massive pay rise, but seriously, it must be some kind of typo.

At least, that's what I thought. I e-mailed the Communications Team first thing this morning to ask for some more information, but clearly the head of communications is the kind of strong, silent type who prefers to say nothing, and by the end of the afternoon I still hadn't had a response. Fortunately, however, I'm like a cross between Miss Marple and a ferret, so despite the lack of communication, I was on the case like a hound. And by 5pm I'd successfully sniffed out the story. Modesty prevents me from explaining further. As does the fact that I don't think I'm technically entitled to the nomination. But it's nice to get a mention. Even if it took me four months to notice. So thank you to the people involved. And no, it wasn't my parents.

6 comments:

Phil's Mum said...

No, it certainly wasn't your parents, but you obviously have other fans!!

Poirot said...

Not me either although I am a bit of 'an air circulating device'

Peter Chapman said...

Oh! THAT nomination form.

Jp Cheshire said...

I feel sure that I passed on your name and address to Tom Champagne of the Readers Digest as one of the very few people in the UK that wasn't a winner. It could have come from that! 

Phil said...

With all this popular support, I can't wait for next year's awards. I think I'll go for an even more inappropriate category next time. Maybe 'Midwife of the Year'.

Phil's Mum said...

Hopefully that WILL still be inappropriate.