People in Forth Valley are being called upon to nominate local healthcare heroes for an accolade at the Scottish Health Awards 2013 before the deadline of 6 September 2013.

Hundreds of nominations have been received from across Scotland but many more worthy healthcare teams and top professionals are yet to be recognised for their dedication to providing outstanding patient care.

With the NHS in Scotland helping more than 150,000 Scots every day, the judges are looking for Scotland's finest NHS workers and volunteers from across every area of healthcare including therapists, GPs, specialist carers or volunteers who work tirelessly behind the scenes of NHSScotland.

Last year, Stirling Council's Intermediate Care and Reablement Teams won the Integrated Care for Older People Award at the Scottish Health Awards 2012.

There are 16 award categories, including the Nurses Award, the Volunteers Award and the Top Team Award.

Professor Fiona MacKenzie, Chief Executive of NHS Forth Valley, said, "The Scottish Health Awards are a superb way of allowing local people in Forth Valley to say thank you to those who are always prepared to go the extra mile to help others. By nominating health workers and teams who provide excellent care in their areas of expertise not only do they recognise the care we give our patients, but they also act as an inspiration to colleagues throughout the organisation." The awards will culminate in a prestigious award ceremony on 7 November 2013 at the Corn Exchange in Edinburgh.

To nominate your healthcare hero visit www.scottishhealthawards.com.