NNUH Apprentice shortlisted for prestigious national award

Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital apprentice Sophie Bland has been nominated for a national NHS Apprentice award.

Outstanding NHS apprentices from across the country are to be recognised for the contribution they make to their teams and to the NHS. Sophie has been shortlisted in the Eastern Region and will discover the result at  an exclusive event in central London on the 15th March during National Apprenticeship Week, hosted by Minister for Care Quality, Ben Gummer MP.

The event will include an update from the Department for Business, Innovation & Skills (BIS) on the future growth of Apprenticeships in the public sector with examples of good practice from across the country, culminating in the NHS Apprentice of the year award.

Sophie said: “I’m really excited to be attending the event in London and very proud to have been selected to attend not only on behalf of the hospital but our apprentices and others in the region. I am very proud of myself; I never thought that I would have been able to do what I am doing now because of my lack of experience but the apprenticeship has taught me what I need to know and on top of it all I absolutely love my job.”

Sophie won apprentice of the year at the 2015 NNUH Staff Awards after joining the Trust as an Apprentice Medical Secretary in the Gastroenterology Department in 2013 and has since progressed to Trust Senior Secretary for a Gastroenterology Consultant with aspirations of becoming an Administration Manager in the future.

Mark Davies, NNUH Chief Executive who has been invited to attend the event with Sophie, commented: “I am delighted for Sophie and the Norfolk and Norwich that she has been shortlisted. Apprentices such as Sophie are an incredible asset to the hospital and should be celebrated for their contribution. Apprenticeships have transformed the way we recruit and are at the heart of succession planning allowing the organisation to ‘grow our own’ workforce. This exciting new talent stream helps us to create a highly trained, sustainable workforce offering outstanding patient care.”

Apprenticeships are a framework of education which combines core skills such as English and Maths with technical skills needed for specific clinical or admin jobs and incorporate a National Vocational Qualification (NVQ). The apprenticeship is delivered as vocational work based learning which usually includes some attendance at college.

Sophie Bland