The NHS are under more pressure than ever amidst the Coronavirus pandemic, but as we stand outside clapping on our doorstep and remember to stay inside, we know who we’re doing this for – the amazing NHS staff, both medical and non-medical, that are fighting on the frontline.

NHS Ambulance Services in particular have been crucial during these times and have been doing a fantastic job in the Control Rooms and beyond. One particular Ambulance Service we recognised this year was the North West Ambulance Service, who won the Communications Award at the Sixth Annual Unsung Hero Awards. The Communications Team did a fantastic job by launching successful social media campaigns that are set to make a positive difference to both NHS staff and the public. It’s these skills acquired by Non-Medical and Non-Clinical NHS staff that deserve to be recognised and are the true inspirations behind our awards ceremony.

A big advocate of the Unsung Hero Awards is the London Ambulance Service. At the Sixth Annual Awards held this February, we had Director of Communications Antony Tiernan judge the Communications category and Emergency Medical Dispatcher Jules Lockett judge the Corporate Services category.

Both have been huge supporters of the Unsung Hero Awards, as we are of them. Antony Tiernan has worked in the NHS for more than 15 years and has been an advocate of the UHA since 2018, in 2019 Antony used his vast network to help the Awards grow significantly within the NHS.

Jules Lockett has worked for London Ambulance Service for 19 years and is a valued member of the Service. Throughout the Awards preparation and promotion on the run up to the night, Jules showed a huge passion for the Unsung Hero Awards and the hard workers within the NHS, herself being devoted to her role.

Jules told us more about her role in the National LGBT Network and also about being co-chair of the London Ambulance Service LGBT Network: “I have always been a part of our LGBT network and have been one of the co-chairs for some years now. It is so important to have a network that both can support colleagues but also educate others in the service to ensure we offer the best treatment of care and respect to our patients and communities.”

Jules also told us more about her passion for the Awards: “It was an absolute privilege to have been asked to support the judging of the awards this year – the nominations have left me feeling inspired. True NHS Heroes.”

This type of heroism can be seen on the London Ambulance Service’s Twitter page where they are using their wide platform to spread awareness of Coronavirus, including all the important information that the public need to know on how to stay safe, keeping us all up to date.

This includes videos and pictures under the #StayHomeSaveLives campaign where we see images of staff at work doing whatever they can to make sure everybody is staying inside and keeping safe.

The London Ambulance Service also recently used their platform to help raise money for the Australian Red Cross, who are still battling the devastating Australian bushfires and their knock-on effects, which will be for some time to come.  

From this alone, you can see the hard work and devotion that the workers of the London Ambulance Service put into their roles, especially those in Non-Clinical roles like Communications and Corporate Services, who deserve to be recognised for their efforts in not just national emergencies, but throughout the year.

We thank our Unsung Heroes for fighting on the frontline to save lives while risking their own. It’s teams like the London Ambulance Service that keep boosting the morale of the country and make us feel protected during these uncertain times.

Written by Lily Harrison | Freelance Content Writer