DEDICATED staff who were responsible for the successful move to the new Great Western Hospital have been recognised at the Swindon and Marlborough NHS Trust's third annual special achievement awards.

More than 20 individuals and teams were honoured with an award from outgoing trust chairman Nicholas Godden.

Award winners were nominated by their colleagues, and recipients ranged from the delivery suite team in the maternity ward to the hospital's two car parking attendants Ron Aldred and Winston Moore.

It has been a turbulent year for the NHS trust with November's move from the Princess Margaret Hospital to the GWH, but Mr Godden praised staff for their contribution in making it a success.

Mr Aldred and Mr Moore won the chairman's special award after they were nominated by four different departments for their work in welcoming visitors and staff to the hospital.

In nominating them director of nursing Elaine Strachan-Hall, who nominated the pair on behalf of the health and safety team, said: "It is their cheerful, helpful and warm approach that has been outstanding. Their meet and greet function has a tangible impact on visitors view of the Great Western Hospital.

"This is over and above their job requirements to manage safety of car parking over this busy period."

They also received nominations from the clinical audit department, Guy Bardoe of environmental services, and the hospital's reception staff.

Mr Moore, 57, from Swindon said: "We don't know how we got this award because I don't think either of us has done anything that serious. We find someone a place to park and they say thanks."

Mr Aldred said: "I feel very honoured, but like Winston I don't think I've done anything out of the ordinary. The patients coming to the hospital are our main concern."

Clinical practice co-ordinator Liz Jaffray, who works in the education centre and has been in nursing for 22 years, won praise across the hospital for her work in preparing the staff orientation for the new hospital.

She said: "I am really, really proud. I have enjoyed teaching and training people.

"The orientation programme was one of the reasons I won the award. It was a three hour session that ran twice a day for 11 weeks.

"We trained every single member of staff, telling them all about the new hospital and what would happen when they got here."

Tony Pickworth of the Intensive Care Unit nominating her said: "I know she has spent a great deal of time running the return to practice course which has given excellent grounding for nurses returning to the profession after a career break.

"The new hospital training was an enormous task both in logistical terms but also to win the hearts and minds of all disciplinary groups, including the senior medical staff."

Hospital spokesman Chris Birdsall said: "The awards were set up to recognise good practice and reward people whose efforts have gone beyond the call of duty.

"This year there were a record number of nominees and the trust is very proud of all of them."