Judges meet to decide who will be the winners in our Best of Health awards

That was the view of judges who met to decide the heroes who would make it to the finals of this year’s Wearside and South Tyneside Best of Health Awards.

In a process which took hours, shortlists were drawn up for categories including Unsung Hero to Nurse of the Year.

They deliberated long and hard over the Pharmacy, Hospital Doctor, GP/GP Surgery of the Year and Customer Service sections.

There were many other categories as well where every nominated entry was impressive.

The shortlists have been drawn up for each section and we shall be revealing them in a matter of days. Watch out for them in your Sunderland Echo and Shields Gazette.

In the meantime, the judges were all in agreement that the standard in this year’s competition was extremely high. They also agreed that the work being done in all aspects of the health sector was hugely impressive.

There were numerous examples of people going way above and beyond their jobs to make sure patients and customers got the best care possible.

Everyone who made the shortlist could have been a worthy winner, whether or not they are declared as one of this year’s champions.

So watch out for more news in the near future on a competition which was, as ever, keenly contested.

The next stage of this year’s awards is the grand finale. That’s the night when we will announce the winners at the Roker Hotel, in Sunderland, on Thursday, May 9.

Our team of reporting staff will bring you all the latest developments of the evening’s proceedings, with a round-up of all the results in the Sunderland Echo and the Shields Gazette the next day.

Once the night is over, we will publish a special supplement filled with more interviews and photos in the week after the awards finale.

The Gazette and Echo are holding the awards in partnership with South Tyneside NHS Foundation Trust and City Hospitals Sunderland NHS Foundation Trust.

The sponsors for this year’s competition include Sunderland Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG), the Wonderful Wig Company and East Coast Fitness.