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Unsung Hero Award winner

This award recognises those who regularly go over and above what would normally be expected as part of their job role to make and strengthen community links. 

As section manager for the 111 service, Mark works with commissioning groups, urgent care providers and the Operations Centre team to ensure the Trust’s processes and procedures are efficient and provide the best level of care to patients.

In April major changes to better integrate 111 with other urgent and emergency care provision came into force. These changes aim to make 111 the ‘front door of the NHS’ and are the biggest reforms since its roll-out in 2013.

Mark took responsibility for the transition of the new service, sharing his unrivalled knowledge throughout and communicating throughout with team leaders, call handlers, section managers, the project team and the urgent care providers to ensure a smooth changeover.

Before the launch, Mark worked closely with partners on the project, often against extremely tight deadlines, but always with a smile and without complaint.

Liaising with hundreds of call handlers, 30 team leaders and 60+ clinicians is no mean feat and all had to be up-to-speed and aware of the changes and possible problems. When launch date came, it coincided with a Saturday, providing the additional challenge of large volumes of calls and weekend workers, who all had to start taking calls immediately.

Even though Mark wasn’t scheduled to be at work that day, he came to support the team and act as a go between – even responding to emails in the middle of the night.

Mark’s swift response to issues and relentless action to get processes and responsibilities agreed ensured the Trust maintained excellent patient care throughout.