Stroke pioneer wins Windrush award

A doctor who pioneered a life-saving treatment for stroke has taken a top prize in the NHS Windrush 70 awards.

Sanjeev Nayak, a consultant interventional neuroradiologist in Staffordshire, was winner in the clinical excellence for medics category, which was sponsored by the BMA.

Dr Nayak developed and pioneered the mechanical thrombectomy service in Staffordshire, which is one of the leading centres of excellence for minimally invasive stroke thrombectomy in the UK.

He said: ‘I feel greatly honoured to have won the NHS Windrush 70 award for clinical excellence for medics. It is a wonderful recognition of the pioneering mechanical thrombectomy service that our team has developed at our organisation and which has benefited hundreds of stroke patients over the last decade. I would like to acknowledge each and every member of my team for my success and thank the support that I received from my family.’

The Windrush 70 awards were designed to celebrate the contribution of BME (black and minority ethnic) workers in the NHS since it was founded in 1948.

Other winners include Bijay Sinha, who won in the category of BME inspirational leader.

A consultant physician with the Syringa care of the elderly ward at London’s Whipps Cross Hospital, he was praised for encouraging all members of the team and uplifting the ward with his positive attitude.

Vanessa Apea, a consultant in sexual health and HIV medicine in London, and her mother, Beatrice Akyeampong, who came from Ghana to study nursing in 1967, were joint winners of the category for contributing towards improving health inequalities.

Amos Burke, a Cambridge consultant paediatric oncologist, and associate director for the National Institute for Health Research Cancer Research Network for Children’s Cancer and Leukaemia, was winner of the research and policy development award.