Introducing Adam Richards: NHFT Leadership Award winner
Meet Adam Richards, Ward Manager at Northamptonshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust's (NHFT) Kingfisher adult mental health inpatient ward in Kettering.
Adam started his health career as a healthcare assistant in the private sector, before a placement with NHFT while training to be a nurse in 2014 convinced him the Trust was the place for him.
Since then, he's risen through the ranks in adult mental health at NHFT to his current role of Ward Manager - and now he's celebrating winning the Leadership Award at our annual Quality Awards.
Here, Adam reacts to his success and reflects on what it takes to be a good leader, his personal career journey and the rewards of management. We also hear from Adam's manager, Trish Ribano, on why he's such a worthy winner!
"I felt like I'd peaked!" - Adam's reaction to winning
"When I was first told about being a round winner in the Quality Awards I was overwhelmed. I felt like I'd peaked, almost! You get appreciation from your line manager and people around you but to have that rubber-stamped on such a scale as the award night and the Leadership Award for 2025 - it's still unfathomable almost. I'm so passionate about leadership and my colleagues and staff on the ward will know how important that is to me. To win an award for exactly what I'm really, really passionate about - you can't beat it."
The rewards of being a manager
"Inpatients gives you such a good grounding for a career in nursing, whatever you then go and do after that. As a manager, you're able to help form that grounding. This is a 20, 30, 40-year career and you have an influence over that person's development and that person's journey and what makes them a good nurse."
What makes a good leader
"I've always tried to maintain that knowledge of: what do I want in a leader. It's being seen, it's being visible, it's being accessible, it's being fair, it's being consistent, it's being understanding. Be someone that people can walk past and both respect but be able to approach with a problem. And I think that my team do because they come to me a lot!"
"The nicest manager I've ever worked with"
Trish Ribano, Adam's manager, says: "Adam, I think, is probably the nicest manager that I've ever worked with. He's kind, he's fair, he's considerate, he's reliable and I hope one day he will be my successor. He likes to get involved with the clinical side and he has really good relationships with his staff. He's just the ideal manager. He went to the awards ceremony not ever thinking that he was going to win and his team are just so happy for him and it's been a lovely recognition of what he does."