NEWS: Top Talent Shines at PMA Awards 2024

The PMA Awards 2024 celebrated outstanding contributions to healthcare management, with winners honoured for achievements in leadership, innovation, and sustainability

The highly anticipated PMA Awards 2024 took centre stage last week at the Best Practice Show in Birmingham. The event, attended by thousands of healthcare professionals over two days, featured insightful presentations on key primary care topics such as Cybersecurity Essentials for General Practice, Navigating Conflict in Primary Care, Wellbeing QI Indicators, and an engaging panel discussion on ARRS roles.

It was standing room only at a packed PMA Theatre as the prestigious award ceremony began, celebrating excellence in management across all areas of the healthcare sector.

Following hundreds of nominations and some difficult decisions for the judging panel, the PMA award winners received their accolades – including Hilary Murray-Brown, of Well Up North PCN, taking PCN Manager of the Year and Afshan Mussarat, of Victoria Road Surgery in Birmingham, who won PMA Practice Manager of the Year.

It was Sarah Rhodes-Bickerdyke, of the Avicenna Medical Practice, who collected Practice Business Manager of the Year and Rupal Patel, of Havergal Surgery, who won PMA Administration/Reception Manager of the Year.

There were two new awards this year, with the Sustainability in General Practice Award going to Frome Medical Practice and the award for Innovation in General Practice awarded to joint winners South Hambleton and Ryedale Urgent Service and Bestwood and Sherwood PCN.

This year’s winner of the Outstanding Contribution to General Practice award was presented to Sophia Raja, Birmingham& Solihull ICB / Yardley Wood Health Centre, while Rosheny Rajbahak, of Havergal Surgery, was highly commended.

Sophia Raja said she was ‘beyond grateful’ to have been presented with the Outstanding Contribution to General Practice Award.

“I’d like to say a huge thank you to the PMA for selecting me as their winner,” she said. “I absolutely love my job and all the challenges that come with it – a core part of my existence is supporting others; so to be recognised for the time I’ve spent helping others to succeed means the world to me.”

And finally, the Lifetime Achievement Award went to Dr Amrish Gor, of Havergal Surgery, for his outstanding and sustained contributions to the healthcare sector.

Ian Jones, PMA director, added: “The quality of the nominations has been exceptional across all categories. Our winners – and those highly commended – have shown a dynamic input to their practice, their PCN or other healthcare settings.

“It’s so important that we continue to celebrate our successes in Primary Care!”

Headline sponsor for this year’s PMA Awards at Best Practice was Bespoke Clinical Services (BCS).