Caring for and treating patients is only part of the job for medical staff working in hospitals.

Many are undertaking projects to help tackle growing issues in the community.

These schemes and the people leading them from across Britain are being celebrated with special awards to mark the NHS’s 70th anniversary.

Although none of the team at Medway made it on the shortlist, seven people from the hospital were nominated including Rupika Mehta, Helen Watson and Diana Hamilton-Fairley.

Dr Mehta was a driving force in the hospital’s campaign with the Medway Messenger last year to get more women to attend their breast screenings, as part of a wider drive to improve breast screening care.

She said: “I thought was it really me? The changes we have made, that effort, has been recognised, it was such a big thing and the best news ever.

“It was my vision but the team have to make the vision come true and it was a team that made it happen. I’m still in shock.”

Before Dr Mehta carried out an audit to change the way the service was provided, the trust was in the bottom three in the South East. It is now reaching targets and consistently rated higher than the national average in a variety of measures.

Miss Watson was nominated for the excellence in mental health care award for steering a project on perinatal care.

Around 20% of women will develop a mental health issue during pregnancy and almost a quarter of maternal deaths between six weeks and one year after pregnancy were related to mental health problems.

Miss Watson, consultant obstetrician and gynaecologist at the hospital, lead a project to address these issues and her work led to a nomination for the excellence in mental health care award.

She said: “I was surprised. It’s really nice to get some recognition for all the work with the whole team.

“We’re aiming to provide for this important group of patients slipping through gaps in the service.

“We realised our patients were having problems actually getting to see mental health professionals. Some had had their babies before they could see them.”

The project has included hiring a perinatal clinical nurse who can see women in the maternity ward straight away.

Medical director Diana Hamilton-Fairley was nominated for a lifetime achievement award for her work which has led to a decline in the mortality rate at the hospital.

She said: “We’ve made changes across the board and I have led projects but they’ve been done by people on the ground and it’s important to mention that.”

In her nomination, hospital chief executive Lesley Dwyer, called her an inspirational leader who put patient safety at the heart of everything she does.

The other nominations were Ashike Choudhury, Cliff Evans, Sanjay Suman and Caris Grimes.

To support your hospital make sure you visit the fair today.