A QUARTET of dedicated hospital heroes have re-ceived national recognition for their efforts.

Worcestershire Acute Hos-pitals Trust staff Rachel Bright-Thomas, Cath Joyner, Heather Warner and Helena White have all been honoured with prestigious nat-ional NHS Hero awards.

The scheme, backed by health secretary Jeremy Hunt, aims to celebrate the “unsung heroes” in the NHS.

The awards are nominated by patients, colleagues and professional peers and are open to both clinical and non-clinical staff. The Worcester-shire winners were presented with their certificates during surprise celebrations with their teams. They have been dubbed the “fantastic four” by the trust, which says they help “make a real difference to people’s lives”.

Ms Bright-Thomas, a specialist breast cancer surgeon, was nominated by one of her patients, Debbie Herbert.

She said: “As well as being incredibly skilled as a surgeon, Ms Bright-Thomas shows compassion for her patients, understanding the emotional as well as physical cost of this diagnosis.

“But over and above this professional care, in small but significant ways she shows that she really cares – making sure that patients are warm, comfortable and supported.”

Cath Joyner was nominated for her hard work on the Lavender gynaecology ward, where she is a ward clerk.

Ward sister Karen Hill said: “Cath is a star, she works so hard and will always try to help. She is often the smiling welcome to the ward and wants the best for patients and staff. “She really is the linchpin of the ward and seems to know everything.”

Head of access Heather Warner’s nomination recognised her role in implementing the trust’s new electronic records system.

She said: “I feel really proud to receive an award recognising my dedication and care.”

Colleagues nominated Helena White, a midwife at the Alexandra Hospital in Redditch, for her work setting up the African Maternity Health Link with a hospital in Sierra Leone.

As well as fund-raising for extra equipment, she has visited the Lumley Government Hospital, in Freetown, to support midwives there and share her expertise.

Mr Hunt said: “It gives me enormous pride to celebrate the unsung heroes of the NHS. Every single day thousands of dedicated teams and individuals go to extraordinary lengths to provide exceptional care.”