Sexual Health Heroes

Showing gratitude to our co-workers through simple gestures such as saying ‘thank you’ can go a long way. As BASHH President, I’m acutely aware of the challenges we all face and how the wider pressures affecting the specialty can sometimes impact the jobs we do on a day-to-day basis, as well as affecting morale and even recruitment rates into the sector. As we work with partners to continue to highlight and seek to address these wider challenges, I have been considering what more we can do here and now to help to influence the situation on the ground, and better recognise the hard work and dedication of our colleagues. Whilst we currently have BASHH Honorary Life Memberships, Outstanding Achievement Awards and Life Time Achievement Awards, we also need to celebrate the day-to-day achievements of our workforce, no matter how humble they might seem. I am therefore delighted to be introducing a new BASHH Sexual Health Hero award. This is a simple process of sending an e-mail nominating your hero (singular or plural – it could for instance be your entire clinic team!) for the month, with a short paragraph explaining the reason for the nomination and an accompanying photo. The award is open for all professions (e.g. Health Care Assistant, Nurse, Consultant, Secretary, Health Advisor etc) and those that are nominated do not have to be a BASHH member, rather they just have to have gone that ‘extra mile’! Award winners will be announced at the start of each month and celebrated on the BASHH website.  We will also promote the awards via social media, using the hashtag #SexualHealthHeroes.Access the nomination form here  It’s a way of saying ‘Thank You’Dr Olwen Williams OBEPresident of BASHH