Royal Surrey Stars 2024 winners announced | News

Committment, kindness and good team work were strengths repeatedly celebrated at our Royal Surrey Stars ceremony as our 2024 winners were announced last week. The event was held at Guildford’s Harbour Hotel with the finalists from the 18 award categories attending. 

The evening was hosted by Royal Surrey NHS Foundation Trust’s Chief Executive Louise Stead and Chair Joss Bigmore:

“We’re such a busy organisation, we don’t get enough time to reflect on the incredible feats that are achieved every day by our staff, but this event enables us to do that.”

The staff award nominations are made by colleagues and patients, and this year a record number of 711 nominations were made. The finalists in each category are those who’ve really shone in their role and made a significant difference to their teams and patients in their day-to-day work.

Louise Stead praised all those who attended and extended her thanks to everyone at the Trust who has an instrumental role in the great patient care that the organisation delivers every day:

“I read through every nomination for this year’s Royal Surrey Stars, and they were both inspiring and humbling. But most of all, I felt incredibly proud of the people and teams we have at Royal Surrey.”

The two Patients’ Choice awards are nominated by patients, their families and carers who’ve taken the time to write in about an individual or team who’ve really supported them in often very difficult times. The individual Patients’ Choice award was won this year by Dr Maja Kaladjiska, Internal Medicine Trainee who works in our emergency medince services. She was nominated not just for her medical expertise and professionalism, but for her kindness, compassion and skill that shone when treating a young patient with autism. And the team award was won by Clandon Ward, the Trust’s specialist head, neck and surgical ward.

The team at Clandon was nominated by Donna Ockenden whose father Cleighton Thomas was supported with end-of-life care on the ward. 

“Spending the amount of time I did at the ward I was able to see the high levels of nursing and multi professional expertise, not just for my Father but for other patients and their families too. I spoke to so many other families who were so grateful and positive about the levels of compassion, kindness, skill and dedication of the Clandon Team.”

There was an additional award announced on the night, the Chair’s and Chief Executive Award, which was given to the Radiotherapy and Radiotherapy Physics Teams whose collaborative work made sure patient care was maintained in the face of two significant operational challenges caused by external IT issues this year. 

The winners in all the categories are listed below. Congratulations to them all!

Royal Surrey Stars 

Access and Medicine Champion Claudette Cadien	Adult Community Health Services Champion Grenda Mae Panibawan
Diagnostics and Clinical Support Services Champion Elizabeth Portsmouth	Oncology Champion Emma Masters
Surgery Champion Jerik Verula	Women and Children Champion Joanna Randall
Corporate Services Champion Mark Witherden	Improving the Patient Experience Anthony Gartland
Improving the Staff Experience Jean Voice	Rising Star Paige Agutter
Green Guardian Fabio Di Maria	Leader/Mentor of the Year Laura Dobson
Volunteer of the Year Marion Dante	Charity Inspiration Award Cancer and Surgical Innovation Campaign Champions
Non-Clinical Team of the Year Community Co-ordination Centre	Patients’ Choice Award - Team Clandon Ward
Clinical Team of the Year Breast Radiology team	Patients’ Choice Award - Individual Dr Maja Kaladjiska