The BGS Special Medal recognises a person who has made an outstanding contribution to promoting the health and wellbeing of older people. The award celebrates the work of a volunteer or someone who is not a registered healthcare professional but nevertheless has made a real difference to the care of older people. We are now seeking nominations for worthy candidates from our partners in the not-for-profit and public sectors including charities, voluntary sector organisations, and health and social care support agencies.
The British Geriatrics Society is the professional membership association for doctors, nurses and other health professionals engaged in the specialist health care of older people across the UK.
Each year we award a small number of prize medals to recognise the outstanding contribution of individuals towards better health in old age. One of these is the BGS Special Medal, intended for "individuals whose work to promote the health and wellbeing of older people throughout society has been outstanding”.
The individual may be active in any relevant field, whether a charity, voluntary or self-help organisation, local authority, care home or non-clinical role in a NHS setting. They will not be a BGS member. Their outstanding contribution might be over a long or short period. The only firm criterion is that they must have made a major contribution and deserve recognition for their work to promote the health and wellbeing of older people.
President of the BGS, Professor Adam Gordon, commented:
The Special Medal is a way for the BGS to recognise the contribution made to older people’s health and wellbeing by volunteers, charity workers and people outside the healthcare professions. If you know of someone who has gone the extra mile to make a difference to older people’s lives, I would encourage you to put them forward for this prestigious award.”
The medal was most recently awarded to Judith Lund of the British Red Cross for her work in supporting the discharge of older patients from hospital. You can read about what receiving the medal meant to Judith
here.
How to submit your nomination
To submit your candidate, complete a nomination form explaining why you think your nominee’s work to promote the health and wellbeing of older people deserves recognition. Your submission should be approximately 300 words, including examples. Completed nomination forms should be emailed to Mark Stewart, BGS Business and Office Manager, M [dot] Stewart [at] bgs [dot] org [dot] uk
Nominations are open now. The deadline for nominations has been extended to Wednesday 31 July 2024 at 5pm.