Two NHS Tayside staff members have reached the finals of the prestigious Scottish Health Awards.
The Scottish Health Awards are run by NHS Scotland and the Scottish Government and recognise those who go that extra mile to improve the health and wellbeing of others.
NHS Tayside Consultant Anaesthetist, Lesley Crichton, and Dentist, Penelope Granger, have both been nominated in the Global Citizenship category.
Lesley has been nominated for her work in Zambia, where she spent two years supporting anaesthesia training in the country. In 2017, Lesley moved there with her husband and three children to work with the Zambia Anaesthetic Development Program. As a consultant in anaesthesia and critical care, Lesley’s role was to support the program locally by working with Zambian trainees and graduates of the training program, while supervising the international junior and senior anaesthesia teaching fellows.
She said, “Back in 2017, I took up the voluntary post as a way to develop my skills as a trainer and a doctor, but I got so much more. I was able to support the local trainees and ensure they had a voice in improving the provision of safer surgery and anaesthesia throughout Zambia.
“I’m very lucky to still be actively involved in the programme and I continue to provide remote support. It’s a fantastic honour to be recognised for my work with the team, but my colleagues in Zambia do an amazing job, and I am filled with pride as I see us all grow.”
Penelope Granger has been nominated for her work on the remote island of Tristan da Cunha. Penelope has been the island’s dentist since 2011 and works alongside a local dental nurse to provide a range of dental treatments, including orthodontic moulds, that get brought back to Dundee Dental Hospital.
She said, “Travelling to Tristan da Cunha for the past 10 years has been an absolute joy. While our original objective was to provide basic dental care, we have now ventured into other areas, such as early prevention work in the local school, providing fluoride supplements to all residents and training up members of the community to become dental nurses and health educators.
“We have managed to gain the trust and respect of the islanders and I would not have received my nomination if it were not for them. This is their nomination as well.”
Chair of Tayside NHS Board, Lorna Birse-Stewart, said, “I would like to congratulate both Lesley and Penelope on receiving their nominations for this year’s Scottish Health Awards.
“We are extremely proud of them both and congratulate them on their achievements. This is an absolutely outstanding achievement and I wish them the best of luck at the awards ceremony.”
The awards ceremony will take place on Thursday, 4 November at the O2 Academy in Edinburgh.
For more information, visit www.scottishhealthawards.com.