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Background
Even at the best of times, we work in a profession that isn't as appreciated as it could be. If we aren't being pilloried by the popular press for what they see as a world in moral decline, then we are being scapegoated by the political parties for what they see as failure to keep health statistics sufficiently election-worthy. And right now – in what one might call the worst of times when it comes to funding, resourcing and health service stability – we can feel very short on recognition, which is why the recent introduction of an annual UK Sexual Health Awards ceremony is such good news. A joint venture by British sexual health charities Brook and the Family Planning Association (FPA), the 2012 Awards were the inaugural event, and the 2013 Awards took place in March of this year.
Why the awards?
Both organisations had traditionally presented awards, in small ceremonies throughout each year. But 2 years ago, the organisations decided to both combine and reinvent their awards system, as well as their respective annual gala dinners, to present a joint, award-driven evening.
The impetus for the shift was not simply to have a knees-up. The agenda was and is much more complex – and in my opinion well-informed – than that. The current economic climate that makes it imperative to have events even more focused and cost-effective than before; the increasing awareness that grass roots rather than the ‘great and the good’ should be the central focus of any gathering; and the desire to make a strong statement of achievement to the outside world as well as the abovementioned wish to celebrate that achievement internally.
So, taking as the foundation the existing awards, and adding a few new ones such as a Community Pharmacy Award and the Lifetime Achievement Award (see …
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