A nursing auxiliary has become one of three winners of special Oscar awards recognising outstanding achievements of hospital staff in Bradford - and it's all the more remarkable because he is deaf.

Adrian Peacock, of Ward 14 at Bradford Royal Infirmary, joined nurses Jenny Westerman, also from Ward 14, and Theresa Waldron, of the dermatology ward at St Luke's Hospital, to pick up the awards made to mark the 50th anniversary of the National Health Service.

The three were nominated by colleagues for their outstanding contributions in awards which aimed to recognise unsung heroes for their dedication day-in and day-out to patient care.

In his citation, Mr Peacock, 25, who has been profoundly deaf since birth, was praised for his example to others with the same disability, proving deaf people could work in a hearing environment and still be effective communicators.

Speaking through a signer, he said he was delighted by the award which had come as a major surprise.

He began working at the hospital six years ago sterilising equipment for operations but had moved to become a nursing auxiliary two years ago and hoped to qualify as an auxiliary nurse, now renamed nursing assistants, in December.

He had a vibrating bleeper which helped patients attract his attention and communicated by writing and gesture. "I'd always been interested in hospital work but wasn't sure which area to go into but I was given the opportunity to go into nursing," he said.

Staff Nurse Westerman picked up her award for her efforts developing care packages for patients on ward 14 who needed oesophageal surgery due to cancer, winning recognition for her 'experience, dedication, determination and commitment'.

The third winner was Nurse Theresa Waldron, who is one of the longest serving enrolled nurses in Bradford's hospitals, passing on expertise to hundreds of colleagues over a quarter of a century. Her main role covers treatment of skin disorders, including eczema and psoriasis, and she counsels patients coping with often disfiguring conditions.

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