A West Midlands Ambulance Service Patient Transport Service Manager has picked up a national award which recognises his ‘exceptional’ dedication to the job.

Azad Ali, who is Operations Manager on the Black Country non-emergency contract was awarded in the ‘Exceptional Manager’ category. He was due to have been presented with the award at an event which takes place during the national Ambulance Leadership Forum, but sadly, the event had to be cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic. 
 
The non-emergency Patient Transport Service plays a key role in getting patients to and from their out-patient appointments and takes many more people home from hospital after a stay. Across the contracts we run, staff in PTS carry out about one million journeys each year.
 
The Trust has contracts in Birmingham, Black Country Partnership, Coventry and Warwickshire, Wolverhampton and Dudley, Walsall, Sandwell and West Birmingham and. throughout Cheshire and the Wirral. The Trust employs nearly 900 PTS staff using more than 350 vehicles to get patients to and from their hospital appointments throughout the region and beyond, 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
 
Azad was nominated by Non-Emergency Services Operations Delivery Director, Michelle Brotherton.  His citation read:

“Azad has spent 11 years working in patient transport services (PTS) initially as a call taker before training as a controller.  Not content with that, in his spare time he trained as a patient carer, working PTS ambulance shifts.
 
“His patient facing skills, calm and assured   personality on the phone and an ability to juggle multiple competing priorities, led to promotion as discharge supervisor before becoming Worcestershire Operations Manager helping the contract to consistently exceed performance targets. 
 
“Understanding both sides of the job means he is well suited to working with staff to solve challenges. As PTS ‘flu lead’, the Worcestershire Contract achieved the highest vaccination rate in the Trust in 2018-19. 
 
“An integral part of the management team, he played a key role in improving the CQC rating for PTS services to Good. He thinks ‘patients first’ in everything he does; is liked by staff; while his passion for the job constantly shines through. I couldn’t be happier that his qualities have been recognised nationally.” 
 
Azad added: “I am really pleased to have received this award and am grateful to have had my hard work recognised.
 
“Over the years I have received excellent support from senior managers and equally have a fantastic management team working for and with me. It is a pleasure to be part of WMAS and I am thankful for the opportunities I have been given.”