Two specialist NHS teams have been shortlisted as finalists for the BBC Radio Stoke ‘Make a Difference Awards’ for their work in the Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent community.

The Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent Integrated Care Board’s Learning Disability and Autism Team have been shortlisted as a finalist in the ‘Together’ category and the Homeless Healthcare Service  have been shortlisted as a finalist in the ‘Community Group’ category.

The Learning Disability and Autism Team were nominated by PEGiS, a parent carer support group created by Stoke-on-Trent City Council for parents and carers of children and young people with Special Educational Needs and/or Disability (SEND). They work with parents to try and help young people with autism, or a learning disability stay out of hospital and in their own home within their communities.

The Homeless Healthcare Service work across Stoke-on-Trent and Newcastle-under-Lyme. The team, made up advanced Nurse Practitioners, work from a mobile clinic to help support homeless people who are often not registered with a GP and on average have a life expectancy of only 47 years.

Dr Paul Edmondson Jones, Chief Medical Officer of Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent Integrated Care Board said: “The commitment of these two teams has earned them some well-deserved recognition and I am delighted that they have earned these nominations and wish them well for the awards.

“The Learning Disability and Autism Team have been nominated by parents who have praised the work they have done to break down barriers. They have moved away from their office and engaged with the community, truly listening to what people with lived experience say.

“I know that the Homeless Healthcare Service does an incredible positive job developing a mutually respectful relationship with individuals who often would not seek access to healthcare.”

The winners will be announced at the awards ceremony on Saturday 16 September.