Consultant is nominated for hero awards

Mar 25 2008 by Andrew Hirst, Huddersfield Daily Examiner

A HOSPITAL consultant has been nominated for a prestigious regional award.

Andy Lockey, a consultant in emergency medicine for the Huddersfield and Calderdale NHS Foundation Trust, has been nominated for the NHS/Calendar Health and Social Care Hero Awards.

He has been given the honour for his contribution to a hard-hitting campaign to encourage teenagers to wear seatbelts.

The award recognises someone who has gone above and beyond the call of duty and made a real difference to patient care.

Andy, 39, is one of just three people in Yorkshire to have been nominated and says he is extremely proud of being nominated.

He said: “In accident and emergency we see the awful consequences of youngsters not wearing seatbelts.

“Being involved with the ‘Seat Belt On?’ campaign was an opportunity for me to help educate youngsters about seatbelt safety and prevent them and their fellow passengers from having to visit A&E in the first place. Wear a seatbelt – it’s a simple yet vital message.”

Andy was nominated by Calderdale Council Road Safety Section, the Calderdale division of West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service and the Calderdale division of West Yorkshire Police for his contribution to road safety in the district over the past five years.

Kate Marsh, deputy road safety officer for Calderdale Council, said: “Andy tells it as it is. It is a very powerful seatbelt message and that is what young people want to hear.

“We know from feedback that his account of what doctors have to deal with is very effective indeed.”

Calendar viewers will have the final decision on who receives this award at the Health and Social Care Awards ceremony in April. To see Andy being interviewed, tune into the ITV1 programme tomorrow.