THE trust behind Andover’s hospital has won a national prize for serving the community.

Hampshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, which runs Andover War Memorial Hospital, Basingstoke and North Hampshire Hospital and Royal Hampshire County Hospital in Winchester, has been named best organisation for serving the community by The WOW!

Awards.

The awards are designed to help organisations recognise great customer service throughout the year.

At Hampshire Hospitals, the WOW! Awards were first introduced in 2009 and more than 100 nominations are received each month from patients and staff.

Nominations are considered by a panel which includes Foundation Trust governors and a small number of winners are chosen who are surprised in their workplace by chief nurse Donna Green and presented with a certificate. WOW! Award winners are invited to a quarterly celebration lunch with their colleagues, the board of directors and Foundation Trust governors, to celebrate their work in going the extra mile in customer service, innovation or patient safety.

Donna said: “I am so proud that the work of our staff has led to us receiving this award, and even more so that it reflects that we put excellent patient care at the heart of everything we do.

“I write personally to thank each member of staff who receives a WOW! nomination and it is one of the most pleasurable parts of my job to read the nominations and hear that we are getting things right for our patients and families in so many areas.”

The national WOW! awards ceremony is a chance for all the organisations who use WOW! to celebrate the achievements of their local award winners.