Barts Health Heroes 2026 finalists surprised
We are delighted to announce the finalists for the Barts Health Heroes 2026 Awards, proudly supported by Barts Charity.
Each year, the Barts Health Heroes Awards celebrate the extraordinary people and teams who go above and beyond for patients, colleagues and communities across our trust. The 2026 finalists represent the very best of Barts Health, recognised for their compassion, leadership, innovation and commitment to our values.
To mark the announcement, we surprised some of this year’s finalists in person. From busy clinical areas to behind-the-scenes services, we captured the moment they discovered they had been shortlisted as a Barts Health Hero.
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This year, we received an impressive 1,184 nominations between 1 October 2024 and 30 September 2025. Our recognition programme continues to shine a spotlight on exceptional contributions to compassionate care and innovation throughout the Trust.
Our full list of finalists:
Individual finalists
Living our values (someone demonstrating our WeCare values in everything they do)
Dorcas Orimaye, community paediatric clinical nurse specialist, Mile End Hospital
Elena Felli, senior midwife, Whipps Cross Hospital
Jim Stringer, gardener, Newham Hospital
Wise Seadzi, receptionist, St Bartholomew's Hospital
Patients’ choice (nominated for giving excellent care or enhancing the patient’s experience)
Ashley Fletcher, fertility referrals manager, St Bartholomew's Hospital
Ines Carvalho, ICU nurse, St Bartholomew's Hospital
Lisa Blackshaw, breast services clinic manager, Whipps Cross Hospital
Mona Lisa Samkange, physiotherapist, Newham Hospital
People’s choice (nominated by colleagues for going above and beyond)
Dan Refaat, simulation fellow, group-wide
Lubna Shaheen, rehabilitation support worker, Mile End Hospital
Parween Khodabaccus, ED receptionist, The Royal London Hospital
Sabrina Mubiru, midwife, The Royal London Hospital
Spencer Rolls, IT Service Support Manager, group-wide
Rising star (an exceptional person who has made an impact)
Doris Ikejimba, cardiovascular nurse, Newham Hospital
Ketan Patel, integrated respiratory consultant, St Bartholomew's Hospital
Molly Crawford, cancer service manager, group-wide
Sadaf Iqbal, specialist respiratory physiotherapist, Mile End Hospital/St Bartholomew's Hospital
WeLead (a compassionate leader who motivates and influences others)
Chris Garrett, consultant psychiatrist, Newham Hospital
Radiya Islam, therapeutic radiographer, St Bartholomew's Hospital
Sandra Bowman, senior sister, Whipps Cross Hospital
Sujatha Thamban, divisional director for women and children, Whipps Cross Hospital
Team finalists
Innovation and impact (a team that introduced a new idea, process, or treatment to benefit others)
Adult Respiratory Care and Rehabilitation (ARCARE), The Royal London Hospital
Dying matters team, Whipps Cross Hospital
Maternity: SGA QI project team, Newham Hospital
STaRT-HF: Rapid Titration of Heart Failure Therapy, group-wide
Living our values (a team demonstrating our WeCare values in everything they do)
Bracken Ward, hospital palliative care and transport team, Whipps Cross Hospital
Maternity education team, group-wide
Maryland Ward, Newham Hospital
SMLG move team, St Bartholomew's Hospital
Children's occupational therapy, Mile End Hospital
Patients' choice (nominated for giving excellent care or enhancing the patient’s experience)
Emergency Department (A&E), The Royal London Hospital
Estates team, Whipps Cross Hospital
M-BRACE team, Newham Hospital
Oncology digital project team, St Bartholomew's Hospital
WeBelong (collectively endeavour to eliminate discrimination and inequality)
BartsAbility, group-wide
Cardiology - ELoPE team, St Bartholomew's Hospital
Emergency Department (A&E), Whipps Cross Hospital
Ophthalmology team, The Royal London Hospital
WeImprove (a team achieving a significant improvement in its service)
Alcohol harm team, Newham Hospital
Domestics team, St Bartholomew's Hospital
Imaging team, Whipps Cross Hospital
Pathology: Microbiology team, Pathology partnership
Barts Charity Awards
Dr Anup Kage, The Royal London Hospital
Dr Oliver Guttman, St Bartholomew's Hospital
Antenatal team, Whipps Cross Hospital
Haemotology team, St Bartholomew's Hospital
We will reveal the winners on 11 February 2026 at The Brewery and cannot wait to celebrate. Invitations are being sent this week. If you are not attending in person, we will be live blogging the event so you can still follow every moment!
Thinking ahead? Why not nominate a colleague or team for Barts Health Heroes 2027? It’s easy to nominate, and we’ve got all the steps to help your nominee shine.