We are looking for your nominations for our first Health and Social Care Awards.

We want to recognise the talent and dedication of those heroes who work in the industry, particularly in this incredibly testing year.

The aim of the awards is to champion those teams and individuals that have gone above and beyond the call of duty to care for people during the Covid pandemic.

It could be a GP who went the extra mile, a care home worker who tackled the challenges presented by Covid head on, or a brilliant team that made a real difference to their community.

There are 12 categories - Health Care Team, Care Hero, Care Home Worker, Healthcare Employer, Domiciliary Care Worker, Good Nurse, Adolescent and Child Health Care, Dementia Carer, Volunteer of the Year, Unsung Hero in the Community, Mental Health and GP Practice of the Year.

Finalists will be chosen by a panel of judges and the winners will be announced at a virtual awards ceremony broadcast live on our Facebook page in May.

Pete Gavan, editor of the Oxford Mail, said: “The people who work in the health and social care industry have always been an inspiration, not just during the pandemic, and these awards are our way of thanking them for their incredible dedication and skill.

“I would urge all of our readers to nominate an individual or team, to show them how much you appreciate everything they do. Or if you think you fit the bill, then you can nominate yourself.

“We’ll be profiling nominees in our newspapers and on our websites, to recognise their amazing work.”

The awards have received the support of Oxford health chiefs.

Professor Sir Jonathan Montgomery, chair of Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, said: “This has truly been a time like no other for the NHS, including the 12,000-plus staff who work for Oxford University Hospitals – at the JR, NOC and Churchill in Oxford, at the Horton General in Banbury, and at many other sites in the communities we are proud to serve.

“Covid-19 has made this a time of unprecedented challenges for everyone who has played their part in our OneTeamOneOUH response to the pandemic, but our strength has been in our togetherness and resilience, and the way in which everyone has supported each other and pulled together during these times.”

Dr Bruno Holthof, chief executive officer at Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, said: “Our OneTeamOneOUH includes not only our doctors, nurses, midwives, allied health professionals, porters, receptionists, housekeepers, volunteers, and many more, but also a much bigger team – Team Oxfordshire.

“We work closely with colleagues in primary care, our GPs and their teams, with staff from Oxford Health who provide community and mental health services, with South Central Ambulance Service’s teams, and with colleagues from across a wide range of voluntary organisations such as Age UK Oxfordshire.

“There are so many outstanding and inspiring candidates from Team Oxfordshire and, at a time when the NHS has never been busier, it is so important that we thank them for what they do, to celebrate and recognise their achievements in responding to the Covid-19 pandemic, and reflect on the unprecedented time we have all lived through."

Nominations are open now at oxfordmail.co.uk/awards. You can make a nomination or nominate yourself.

Nominees should be happy to feature in the Mail and its website and have their picture taken if required.