STAFF at Fairfield General have been recognised for all their hard work during the pandemic with a top award.

Staff at the Bury hospital were selected as category winners in this year’s Northern Care Alliance NHS (NCA) Foundation Trust awards.

Dr Jay Naisbitt, an ICU worker at Fairfield General and Salford Royal, won the Chairman's Award for helping to integrate research into routine practice and facilitating patient participation in urgent public health studies.

He also assembled a team from across medical disciplines to deliver new care outcomes and start the RECOVERY-RS trial, the largest non-invasive respiratory support trial for Covid-19.

Dr Naisbitt said: “Although this award is individual, I am just a representative of the wider team that continues to support both Covid and non-Covid patients across the NCA.

“It recognises our achievements both within critical care and respiratory medicine in delivering better than expected outcomes throughout the pandemic and the pivotal role research has taken in improving the quality of care delivered to our patients and their loved ones.”

Fairfield General’s Theatres Team was also presented with the NCA’s Team of the Year prize, thanks to their exhaustive efforts during the pandemic, working long hours and transforming their department into an intensive care unit.

Tracey Jenkinson, lead nurse on the department, who received the award on the team’s behalf, said: “I’m just overwhelmed, we all are really.

“It’s just such a fantastic achievement after everything we’ve been through.

“Our team have been so resilient, and we’ve pulled together so well, whether we’re nursing colleagues, surgeons, anaesthetists or one of our many and varied support staff.

“I feel like a proud mum today and I’m so happy that the team have been recognised for their fantastic efforts. It’s brilliant.”