STAR Awards

A doctor, nurse, healthcare assistant, consultant, surgeon, physiotherapist, occupational therapist, etc who goes the extra mile for their patient or colleagues/NHS Tayside. This award aims to recognise the high quality and compassionate clinical care that a clinician has provided for the people of Tayside.

• Ashley McKean, Assistant Practitioner, Speech & Language Therapy, Angus
• Diana Kamau, Community Occupational Therapy Support Worker, Perth Royal Infirmary
• Kirsten Shaw, Radiographer, Ninewells Hospital
• Lisa Steven, Paediatric Consultant, Ninewells Hospital
• Tracey Dewar, District Nurse, Perth
• Zahida Din, GP, Maryfield, Dundee

This category is sponsored by UNISON Tayside Healthcare Branch.

A domestic assistant, porter, receptionist, service manager, estates or catering staff, etc. who goes the extra mile within their job role helping colleagues/NHS Tayside or patients and visitors.

This award is for an individual involved in providing excellent non-clinical support services for people in Tayside.

• Courtney Whyte, Receptionist, Gynaecology Assessment Unit, Ninewells Hospital
• Dagmara Dzalok, Quality Administrator/PA to Clinical Leads, Breast Screening, Ninewells Hospital
• David Malcolm, Maintenance Manager, Perth Royal Infirmary
• Elaine Lawson, Domestic, Public Health, Kings Cross
• Sabrina Simpson, IT Support, Ninewells Hospital
• Steven Stuart, Electrician, Perth Royal Infirmary

This category is sponsored by UNISON Tayside Healthcare Branch.

Podiatrists, physiotherapists, public health, healthcare assistants, nurses, doctors, a whole ward team of all job families that strives to deliver the best possible quality of health and care for people in Tayside.

This award aims to recognise the excellent quality of care delivered by a team in NHS Tayside. The team might be involved in providing excellent care at a Day Centre, an NHS Outpatients Department or community based service.

• Assisted Conception Unit, Ninewells Hospital
• Dundee Community Treatment and Care Services
• Lymphoedema Service, Roxburghe House
• MacX Team, CAMHS Outpatient Department
• Paediatric Oncology Team, Tayside Children’s Hospital
• Ward 29, Tayside Children's Hospital

This category is sponsored by UNISON Tayside Healthcare Branch.

A service delivery team, laboratory team, administration team, support services team e.g. domestic, porter or catering team that, although not directly providing clinical services, very much supports the delivery of high quality healthcare in NHS Tayside.

This award is for a team who, although not directly providing clinical services, very much supports the delivery of high quality healthcare in NHS Tayside.

• BSL/Interpretation & Translation Team
• Catering Team, Perth Royal Infirmary
• Hospital Discharge Team, Ninewells and Royal Victoria Hospital
• Laundry Department, Ninewells Hospital
• Out of Hours Service Operations Team
• Soft Facilities Team, Crieff & St Margaret’s Community Hospitals

This category is sponsored by UNISON Tayside Tayside Healthcare Branch.

This award is for an individual aged 30 years or younger on the 20 March 2026 who has demonstrated outstanding achievement as part of their working life.

This award recognises a student, apprentice, trainee or employee from any clinical or non-clinical discipline, who has shown initiative, drive and excellent judgement in their work to achieve exceptional results.

• Caitlin Scougall, Charge Nurse, Moredun Ward, Murray Royal Hospital
• Emily Jones, Trainee Advanced Nurse Practitioner, Ninewells Hospital
• Emily McCabe, School Nurse, Drumhar Health Centre
• Emma Mills, Project Dietitian, Ninewells Hospital
• Iona Cavill, Student Audiologist, Kings Cross
• Jamie Ferrie, Clinical Psychologist, Stracathro Hospital

This category is sponsored by NHS Credit Union.

This award is for an individual who, in the course of doing their job, makes a real difference for people in Tayside, but whose work often goes unrecognised.

It recognises individuals whose work has made a real difference to the lives of others in Tayside, while not attracting much attention – those willing to go that extra mile for the sake of others.

• Allison Armstrong, Healthcare Assistant, Paediatric Outpatients, Ninewells Hospital
• Connie Trayner, Admin Services Manager, Obstetrics & Gynaecology, Ninewells Hospital
• Jacqueline McAllan, Team Leader, Carseview Centre
• Jamie Stewart, Peer Support Worker, Carseview Centre
• Lisa Plummer, Charge Nurse, HMP Perth
• Susan Anderson-Blake, Healthcare Assistant, Labour Suite, Ninewells Hospital

This category is sponsored by Unite The Union.

This award is for an individual, a group or a team developing innovative ways to improve health and social care in Scotland. Innovation has many forms and this award recognises clinical and non-clinical innovation. It includes research, use of new or emerging technologies, new ways of working, or faster, smarter access to services and treatments.

It aims to recognise forward-thinking, innovative individuals, or teams, who have taken a creative approach to improve quality, delivery, safety or productivity within health and social care.

• Amy Paul, Ward Assistant, Psychiatry of Old Age, Kingsway Care Centre
• Core Laboratory Managed Service
• Hepatology and Alcohol Care Team
• Hospital at Night Education Forum, Ninewells Hospital
• Pelvic and Obstetric Physiotherapy, Perth Royal Infirmary
• School Nursing Service

This category is sponsored by NHS Tayside Charitable Foundation.

This award is for someone who mentors, supervises or trains other people on the job.

This individual is proactive in creating an environment that supports and inspires the learning and development of others through the use of innovative educational methods.

• Emily Tait, Clinical Educator, Medicine, Perth Royal Infirmary
• Hannah Reynolds, Speech and Language Therapist, Royal Victoria Hospital
• Heather Robb, Midwife, Ninewells Hospital
• Ian Sanders, Consultant Clinical Oncologist, Ninewells Hospital
• Keren Hadden, Mental Health Education Officer, Child & Adolescent Mental Health Services, Dundee
• Simon Shepherd, Honorary Consultant, Dundee Dental Hospital


This category is sponsored by NHS Tayside Charitable Foundation.

This award is for an individual, group or team dedicated to making positive change towards a smarter, safer, healthier, and more sustainable environment for people and the planet.

Somebody who champions diversity and inclusivity, demonstrates a strong commitment to social responsibility, and is making a difference at a local, national, or global level. In addition to their health or social care day job, also volunteers or supports global health or social care work.

• Gillian Elliott, Deputy Clinical Director, Dental, Arbroath
• Jessica Maye, Charge Nurse, Ward 32, Oncology, Ninewells Hospital
• Waste Management Team, Pharmacy, Ninewells Hospital

This category is sponsored by NHS Tayside Charitable Foundation.

NHS Tayside recognises the importance of volunteers in the work of the NHS in Tayside and the valuable contribution volunteers make to the quality of life of patients, users of services, carers, the organisation and the community.

This volunteer award is for an individual, a group or a team of volunteers who are recruited by NHS Tayside’s Volunteer Services team.

• Bill Duff, Renal, Ninewells Hospital
• Colin Muir, Ward 8, Royal Victoria Hospital
• Friends of Royal Victoria Hospital
• Gift Shop Volunteers, Ninewells Hospital
• Move Ahead Volunteers, Perth
• Volunteer Drivers, Dundee and Angus

This category is sponsored by NHS Tayside Charitable Foundation.

This award is for teams or project groups who work collaboratively with a range of colleagues to co-ordinate/deliver services across Tayside. This may be a clinical or support service which has input from a number of specialities across health and social care, or a group made up of representatives from various services coming together to deliver a project.

• Healing Spaces: Growing Wellbeing with Nature
• Peer Immunisation Programme, Public Health
• Perth & Kinross Child Protection Committee Guidance Group
• Reshaping Diabetes Care
• Respiratory Managed Clinical Network
• Specialist Palliative Care Service and Scottish Ambulance Service Partnership

This category is sponsored by NHS Tayside Charitable Foundation.