BIOS Annual Awards

The recipient of this Award will also receive the National Advancing Healthcare Award for Orthoptists and will be invited to the AHA National Award Event to receive the award.

This award aims to attract entries from orthoptists based in the UK and the Republic of Ireland, who have tackled new or longstanding problems in creative ways. Take the opportunity to share the good work and have this recognised nationally!

Information for submission:

1. Summarise your project and its significance.
2. Describe your project implementation and methods and relevant background work
3. What are the outcomes and benefits to service users, and did you involve them?
4. How could it be sustained and what is the potential for transferability and scalability across organisations or services?

Enter here

For excellence in a clinic tutor or educator role within an HEI or clinical placement environment. Recognise the educators who have made a difference to your learning journey!

Nominations can relate to teaching methods, including input into PERL and live streaming, but also for provision of personal support and encouragement within the wider environment, for example EDI and can be received for individuals, teams or departments.

Information for submission:

• Describe the individual/team and explain the specific skills/attributes that make them stand out from the crowd
• How have they gone above and beyond to make a difference
• Have they provided specific support or encouragement or approached learning in an innovative way?
• Outline the positive impact you/they have made to the education experience

Enter here

This award is for non-registered support workers or assistants working within orthoptics. Celebrate the positive contribution that support roles make to patient outcomes and the teams they work in.

Information for submission:

• Describe the individual, their approach or way of working that makes a positive difference
• Have they initiated a change or project or been involved in service review or audit that has made a difference?
• What has been the improvement to the service, patient outcomes or experience?
• What measures have been taken to ensure improvements or changes are sustained within your team?
• How will this solution be used by other services or departments?

Enter here

For excellence in an early career environment. Do you know a colleague who has shown a level of initiative, skill and commitment beyond expectation in their early career?  Recognise our stars in the making who have been working as an orthoptist for less than five years and celebrate that our profession is in great hands for the future!

We are looking for people who stand out from the crowd for example for their resilience, determination, creativity or innovation beyond expectations.

Information for submission:

• Summarise why this person stands out from the crowd.
• Have there been any personal or professional challenges faced?
• In what specific ways has this person matured professionally?
• What do colleagues, managers and patients say about them?
• How does this person show promise for the future?

Enter here

For services to BIOS within the wider scope of our public work.

We want to celebrate those colleagues that have made efforts outside the orthoptic arena. For example, but not limited to, promoting improvements within Public Health, work within EDI, green issues, visibility of our profession or in other aspects within the public domain or community.

Nominations are also welcomed for individuals from outside our profession who have championed orthoptics or aspects of our work, helping to raise our visibility and impact.

Information for submission:

• Summarise what the work they have been involved in.
• What impact they have made with the team/department or wider community
• In what way have they promoted or embedded their work?
• Adoptable by other teams/services
• Feedback received to date

Enter here

For contributions to the profession through research and audit.

Take the opportunity to recognise those within our profession committed to reviewing services, interventions and ways of working. Those looking for opportunities to improve practise and outcomes for the profession and public through research and audit at whatever level.  We welcome nominations for those within the field of research or audit on large or small scales within HEI’s or clinical settings.

Information for submission:

• Describe the individual and the setting in which they are involved in research/audit
• Describe the specific project or audit aim
• Outline their individual contribution to the project and the difference they make
• Explain the positive impact of their work

Enter here

This award recognises orthoptists at any stage in their career who demonstrate effective clinical leadership in their role and the ability to inspire, improving patient care through their leadership.

The nominee must be an orthoptist working in the UK or Republic of Ireland who is leading a team and can demonstrate vision and drive, initiative and responsibility or commitment and resilience.

Information for submission:

• Describe your/their vision and drive for the service you/they work in
• Demonstrate initiative and responsibility to ‘do the right’ thing in the role
• Describe commitment and resilience to continue to lead and develop the service
• Describe the effectiveness of clinical leadership in enhancing the quality of patient care

Enter here

Have you got a local, regional or national British Orthoptic Society Trade Union (BOSTU) representative who has helped you and provided support or advice when you needed it?  We want to celebrate the vital work that all our dedicated BOSTU representatives do day in day out across the country.

Information for submission:

• Describe your representative and the work they do
• Describe their commitment to improving industrial relations in your Trust
• Describe how you feel they have contributed to improving the working lives of you or your colleagues

Enter here