The 2026 HOSCARS winners

On Thursday 24 September, colleagues from across Homerton Healthcare came together for the fourth annual HOSCARS, a special evening celebrating the people, teams and projects that make a difference across Homerton and in our community. 

The event recognised outstanding achievements in patient care, innovation, teamwork, leadership and service improvement, showcasing the dedication, compassion and expertise that can be found across Homerton every day.

Hosted by Chris Ford, Head of Nursing for EMRS, the evening brought together colleagues from across the organisation to celebrate one another's successes and reflect on another year of achievement. Awards were presented by members of the Executive Team to individuals and teams whose commitment, creativity and hard work have delivered real benefits for patients, colleagues and our communities.

Congratulations to all of this year's winners and finalists. Read on to discover the inspiring people, teams and projects recognised at the 2026 HOSCARS.

A special thank you to our charity, Homerton Hope, for helping to make the event possible.

Individual awards

Non-clinical employee of the year

This award is for an outstanding individual working in a non-clinical role, recognising people who make a real difference to how services run or how colleagues are supported.

 

 Winner: Filiz Qureshi

With more than two decades of experience at Homerton, Filiz is a highly respected colleague and a trusted source of knowledge, calm advice and reassurance. As Interim Head of Medical Workforce, she combines compassionate leadership with a genuine commitment to making things better for others. Her inclusive approach gives colleagues a stronger voice, creates opportunities for development and makes a lasting difference across the organisation.

Leader of the year

This award recognises someone who inspires and supports their team, helps others develop, creates a positive and inclusive working environment, and makes a real difference to the way their service works.

 

Winner: Vanessa Lacambra

Vanessa leads her ward with integrity, compassion and an unwavering commitment to patients and staff. Her approachable and encouraging leadership helps colleagues develop, navigate change and feel valued in their roles. By creating a positive culture where people feel confident and empowered, she has strengthened team morale, supported high standards of care and contributed to positive patient experiences.

Clinical employee of the year

This award is for an outstanding individual working in a clinical role who delivers excellent care and makes a real difference to patients and service users.

 

Winner: Katarzyna Trojanowska

Katarzyna is at the heart of the Outpatient Therapies team, supporting clinical, administrative and provider colleagues to keep the department running safely and efficiently. Patients regularly praise her kindness, helpfulness and cheerful outlook, while colleagues value her reliability and initiative. Her warmth, professionalism and willingness to go above and beyond make her an exceptional colleague and a wonderful ambassador for Homerton’s values.

Provider of the year

This award is for colleagues in partner organisations who support our services and make a positive difference to patients, staff, or teams.

 

Winner: Richard Brian Perry

Richard helps make patients’ journeys through the hospital feel less daunting. He takes time to talk to patients, explain what is happening and offer reassurance, always paying close attention to their comfort and dignity. Whether providing a kind word or noticing that someone needs a blanket, his thoughtful actions bring genuine care to every interaction and leave a lasting impression on patients and colleagues alike.

Team awards

Clinical team of the year

This award is for a clinical team delivering high-quality patient care through safe, effective, and compassionate teamwork.

 

Winner: Main Theatres team

The Main Theatres team has continued to deliver safe, compassionate care while responding to significant staffing and service pressures. Alongside supporting two new operating theatres, increased day-case activity and the introduction of robotic surgery, the team has worked across services to reduce delays and improve patients’ surgical journeys. Their resilience, adaptability and commitment to supporting one another demonstrate teamwork at its very best.

Non-clinical team of the year

This award is for a non-clinical team delivering a high-quality service, working well together and improving how services are run.

 

Winner: Nurse Education team

The Nurse Education team provides invaluable support to newly qualified colleagues as they settle into practice, while creating learning and development opportunities for staff throughout their careers. Through practical teaching, structured support and tailored guidance, the team helps colleagues build confidence and thrive. Their dedication to developing others is strengthening patient care and helping to build a skilled workforce for Homerton’s future.

Project / Initiative awards

Involving service users to improve quality and patient safety

This award is for people or teams who improve care by listening to patients and acting on feedback, making care safer, fairer, and better.

 

Winner: Sickle Cell & Thalassaemia Service

The Sickle Cell & Thalassaemia Service has placed patients, parents and carers at the heart of improving care. Its peer-support groups give people opportunities to share experiences, build confidence and influence how services develop. By turning feedback into better communication, more flexible specialist support and safer out-of-hours access to treatment, the service has built trust and empowered people to become active partners in their care.

Transforming the lives of patients and residents in the community

This award is for work that makes a real difference to people's lives in the community through improvements in access, experience, or outcomes.

 

Winner: Parkinson’s Research team

The Parkinson’s Research team has worked closely with patients and carers to make research more accessible, inclusive and responsive to the local community. By establishing a specialist Parkinson’s Clinical Research Nurse role, creating patient focus groups and enrolling 59 people in a research registry, the team has opened new opportunities for historically underrepresented communities. Its work is giving more people the confidence and opportunity to help shape future care.

Improving equality, diversity, and inclusion

This award is for work that helps people feel included, respected and treated fairly.

 

Winner: Homerton Turkish Advocacy team
and Locomotor Service

The Turkish Advocacy team and Locomotor Service have worked together to redesign rehabilitation around the needs of Turkish-speaking patients. By listening carefully to patients and collaborating with advocates and community organisations, they have created care that feels familiar, accessible and genuinely inclusive. Their thoughtful and sustainable approach is helping to reduce health inequalities and demonstrates the powerful difference that truly listening to communities can make.

Supporting staff wellbeing and joy at work

This award is for work that helps staff feel supported and able to do their best work, recognising improvements in wellbeing, morale, or staff experience.

 

Winner: Homerton Healthcare Football Team

Organised in their own time by Musa, Abdul and Rafi, these weekly football sessions have become much more than a game. They provide a welcoming space where colleagues from across Homerton can unwind, stay active and build friendships. Their generosity, enthusiasm and sustained commitment have strengthened connections across the organisation and given staff something positive to look forward to each week.

Working together in partnership

This award is for teams working with partners to improve care, including community services, GPs, local authorities, or voluntary organisations.

 

Winner: Autism specialist support MDT

Speech and Language Therapists, Occupational Therapists and Specialist Teachers have joined forces to provide better support for autistic learners. Together, they have developed a comprehensive learning environment package that is already making a meaningful difference to children, families and schools. Their collaborative work has increased schools’ confidence, supported greater pupil independence and, most importantly, improved learners’ wellbeing.

Building a sustainable future

This award is for people or teams helping make the Trust sustainable for the future, including using resources wisely, supporting staff, reducing environmental impact, or improving how services run.

 

Winner: Building a sustainable
community workforce

This innovative project brought colleagues together through realistic forum theatre sessions to explore the pressures and risks associated with lone working. The honest conversations generated through the programme have led to revised guidance, new resources and stronger leadership support. As a result, staff are better protected physically and mentally and feel more confident about leaving situations in which they may be at risk.

Delivering value and reducing waste

This award recognises work that uses time, money and resources wisely while maintaining high-quality care, improving efficiency or reducing waste.

 

Winner: Pharmacy Omnicell Project team

The Pharmacy Omnicell Project team has successfully introduced automated medicines cabinets across 34 clinical areas. This ambitious programme has improved medicines storage and tracking, reduced waste and freed more nursing time for patient care. By working closely with wards, IT, Estates and other colleagues, the team has overcome challenges with resilience and determination, delivering significant improvements in safety, efficiency and value.

Innovation and improvement project of the year

This award is for new ideas or changes that improve care or services, including new approaches, service redesign, or better ways of working.

 

Winner: Arthroplasty Pathway Redesign

The Surgical Rehabilitation team has transformed the experience of patients having joint replacement surgery by creating a joined-up pathway from preparation through to recovery at home. Working collaboratively across services, the team has significantly reduced hospital stays while giving patients the confidence and support they need to recover safely. The project demonstrates how shared ambition and thoughtful service redesign can deliver meaningful benefits for patients and colleagues.

Education, research, or development scheme of the year

This award is for work that builds skills, knowledge, and confidence, including any project that helps staff learn, develop, and improve how we work.

 

Winner: Trauma Risk Management (TRiM)

The TRiM team has created an innovative Trust-wide programme combining education, peer support and practical intervention following traumatic workplace incidents. The initiative has equipped colleagues with the knowledge, skills and confidence to respond more effectively when support is needed most. By training 14 staff as TRiM practitioners, the team has embedded valuable expertise across the organisation and created a strong foundation for lasting staff support.

CEO Rising Star

Chair's Unsung Hero

A special award, chosen by our CEO

 

Winner: Maryama Sheik-Ahmed

Since joining the Maternity Clinical Governance Team earlier this year, Maryama has made an exceptional impact through her energy, innovation and commitment to improving patient safety. In a remarkably short space of time, she has strengthened how learning is shared across maternity services, helping to turn learning from incidents and reviews into practical improvements that benefit staff and patients alike.

Maryama has introduced a new maternity safety newsletter, expanded simulation training across a wider range of services and played a key role in establishing new opportunities for teams to learn, reflect and improve together. Her work has helped ensure that learning reaches frontline teams in meaningful ways and supports the delivery of safer, high-quality care.

Alongside her impressive achievements, colleagues value her positivity, professionalism and willingness to support others. She brings enthusiasm, creativity and a collaborative approach to everything she does, inspiring those around her and helping to create a culture of continuous improvement.

Despite being at an early stage in her Homerton career, Maryama has already become an invaluable member of the team. Her passion for learning, commitment to excellence and drive to make a difference make her a worthy CEO Rising Star and an exciting future leader for Homerton.

A special award, chosen by our Chair

 

Winner: Caroline Ayers

Caroline is a specialist occupational therapist in palliative care whose dedication and compassion make a lasting difference to patients and families facing some of life's most challenging circumstances. Working across hospital, community and hospice services, she helps people maintain comfort, dignity and independence while ensuring care is centred around what matters most to them.

Mary, our Chair, had the privilege of accompanying Caroline on a home visit to a patient approaching the end of their life and saw first-hand the extraordinary skill, sensitivity and reassurance she brings to every interaction. Her ability to support patients and families at such a difficult time reflects the exceptional standard of care she delivers every day.

A passionate advocate for her patients, Caroline goes above and beyond to find practical solutions, support families and help people achieve their wishes. She is also a valued source of advice and support for colleagues, sharing her expertise and championing excellent care across services.

Through her kindness, professionalism and unwavering commitment to others, Caroline improves the quality of life of countless patients and families. Her quiet dedication, resilience and humanity make her a truly deserving recipient of the Chair's Unsung Hero Award.