Published on: 4 August 2025
Teams tasked with looking after the mental wellbeing of patients young and old have been shortlisted for national awards.
South Tyneside and Sunderland NHS Foundation Trust is delighted to be in the running for five titles at this year’s prestigious Nursing Times Awards.
The Delirium and Dementia Outreach Team (DDOT) has been shortlisted for Team of the Year and in the Care of the Older Person category.
The team run the Hospital Elder Life Program (HELP) which offers therapies to help patients recover from delirium and support those with dementia. It runs the Alexandra Centre at Sunderland Royal Hospital and has now extended its work to South Tyneside District Hospital.
Sessions help stimulate people’s minds, offer a chance to reminisce, use art as therapy and support to encourage patients to eat, drink and move.
The Healthy Heads Team in Sunderland has been shortlisted in the Nursing in Mental Health category and Children’s Services section.
It is a school-based mental health service and is made up of Primary Mental Health Specialists, Primary Mental Health Workers, Senior Educational Mental Health Practitioners (EMHP) trainee EMHPs and a Speech and Language Therapist.
The Healthy Minds Team, which is based in South Tyneside, has also been shortlisted in the Children's Services category. This based in school and helps children and young people from reception age and into college. It supports those with mild to moderate mental health and emotional well-being difficulties, as well as mental health leads in schools.
Top left, members of the HELPA team, which is part of DDOT, top right, and bottom left, the Healthy Heads Team and bottom right, the Healthy Minds Team.
The winners will be revealed at a ceremony to be held in London on Wednesday, October 22. More than 750 entries were submitted to the awards. They aim to shine a light on the brightest talent in the profession and recognise those who innovate, are focused on their patients and are inclusive.
Melanie Johnson is Executive Director of Nursing, Midwifery and Allied Health Professionals.
She said:
"We are extremely proud that these teams have been shortlisted in the Nursing Times Awards.
"Nursing is a very varied and rewarding career and offers a great deal of opportunity to learn, develop and make a difference.
"To be among those who are being considered by the judges and with so many other entries is a huge achievement in its own right. We are hopefully we’ll be coming home with some titles to our name, but whatever happens, these teams are stars to us."
Anyone interested in finding out about careers at South Tyneside and Sunderland NHS Foundation Trust can visit this page: Join our team
