Barrie is an Innovation Champion

A WARRINGTON man has won an Innovation Champion Award for launching a highly successful Dyslexia Network for NHS staff in the North West.
Barrie Morgan, from Great Sankey, received the award at the North West Adult Learners’ Week Awards for Health and Care.
He was given the job of Dyslexia Ambassador and asked to set up a staff support group at Lancashire Teaching Hospitals, four years ago.
Earlier this year he was encouraged to reach out to staff in other NHS organisations – but found that nowhere else had a similar support group. This led to him creating the North West Dyslexia Network, which now has more than 30 members.
Barrie said: “When people come to the support group meeting, you can see the ‘light bulb’ moment, when they speak to another dyslexic person and understand that another person does things in the same way they do, which is a real comfort and positive feeling.”
Barrie has developed resources to support staff; he runs awareness days and has enlisted an army of specialist speakers for “question time” events. He has explored resources within Lancashire Teaching Hospitals; and has worked with the Optometry department to promote staff referral, via their GPs, to a Specific Learning Difficulties Clinic.
This clinic looks at the visual stress of the person, how they read on the page and if colour will aid them in reading.
Barrie added: “I am very passionate about dyslexia and want to help and support as many people as I can. This comes from knowing how it feels to be in a role or a work situation and without the correct support and understanding from colleagues and managers, the feeling of frustration in not being able to perform at the best of your ability, knowing
inside you know it is something you can do.”
His aim is to use the network to bring together all NHS organisations within the North West to learn, discuss and support dyslexic staff.