Valerie (right) with former radiographer Baroness Golding.
The great and good of the profession gathered together at the House of Commons last week to honour all those who have demonstrated clinical excellence and best practice in diagnostic and therapeutic radiography.
The annual Radiography Awards 2009 – sponsored by Fujifilm – recognised the hard work and achievements of more than 50 radiographers working across the UK.
Valerie McCollum, this year’s UK and Northern Ireland Radiographer of the Year, spoke of her amazement at winning one of the Society’s most prestigious titles.
“I couldn’t believe it when I found out I had won,” she said as she collected her prizes at the ceremony.
“Really, I am just doing my job, so it was a real surprise that my colleagues nominated me. Of course, it is a very great honour. I am also very fortunate to have a great team of dedicated and hard working CT radiographers.”
Valerie was described by her peers as “a thoroughly professional radiographer who is highly committed and always goes above and beyond the demands of her job.” (Read more about why Valerie was nominated.)
But she was modest about her achievements. “Awards like these are a great way of recognising the work of the profession but there are plenty more radiographers out there like me.”
"A heart-warming experience"
The honour of presenting the prizes at the ceremony fell to Baroness Llin Golding. Prior to her stint in Parliament, Baroness Golding trained as a radiographer. Explaining her passion for the career during her pre-award speech, the Baroness said: “I qualified in the 1950s – the profession was a lot different back then.”
The Society’s president, Gill Dolbear, then took to the dais to welcome guests. “Being part of the small group judging these awards was a very interesting and heart-warming experience,” she said.
“The quality of the nominations in each of the categories was so high, and choosing the winners was definitely not an easy task.”
The president went on to talk about her recent travels around the UK and how radiographers are developing their roles and making a significant contribution to excellent patient care.
“In common with the allied health professions, there is a growing recognition at the highest levels in the NHS that we have the answer to ‘cost effective quality’ in health care," she said.
"There is no cause for complacency, but our prize winners show why we also have reason to be confident that radiographers will always find ways to deliver extraordinary services for patients.”
