We have now launched our wonderful annual Trust Celebratory Awards and we are asking members of the public to nominate their hospital hero.

It is the chance to nominate a team or individual who has made a remarkable contribution or has shown exceptional compassion and dedication in their role at our hospitals or the wider community.

The Public Recognition Award is a really special award because it is the only category where our patients and communities can nominate and then vote for their winner. This is a fantastic opportunity to ensure your hospital heroes receive the recognition they deserve.

 If you would like to say a special thank you to somebody within the Trust by nominating them visit https://www.sath.nhs.uk/trustawards/public-recognition-award/

The nominations will be shortlisted and followed by a public vote, so you can choose your winner.

The closing date for nominations is Friday 1 August and the winner of the Public Recognition Award will be announced on Friday 17 October at the Trust Celebratory Awards.

Last week, we celebrated Values Week, which gave us the opportunity to recognise our commitment to our Trust values – Partnering, Ambitious, Caring and Trusted – and the difference that living our values can make to our colleagues and patients.

During the week to mark our Values, it was fantastic to see the official opening of three purpose-built clinics rooms as part of £1 million research study that could reduce the amount of time patients are waiting and worrying about a colorectal cancer diagnosis.

More than 1,000 patients have been recruited for the year-long TRIOMIC trial, which uses a new quick and pain-free testing method, since it was launched last year.

The opening of the new clinics at the Community Diagnostic Centre (CDC) at Hollinswood House, Telford, is a real milestone, as it will mean that more appointments will be available and will enable patients to be seen at their first outpatient appointment within five days of a referral by their GP.

The trial – the first of its kind in the UK – is for patients from the county and mid Wales and is being run by the Research & Innovation Department at our Trust and Origin Sciences, a medical technology company.

This innovative technology is improving the experience of patients, easing the pressures on staff who are working above capacity and decreasing costs for our Trust.

Thank you to all those who are involved in setting up the trial and getting to this stage as I know it has taken a lot of hard work – if successful it will make such a difference for our patients on the colorectal cancer urgent suspected pathway and result in the need for a million fewer outpatient clinic appointments per year across the UK.