He was one of 10 winners in the Health Heroes awards, held in recognition of the staff, volunteers, governors and fundraisers across the Trust’s hospitals.

Mr McAleer graduated in 2013 and is now a member of the Royal College of Surgeons and a Clinical Anatomy Teaching Fellow at Lancaster Medical School.

During his training, he worked at the Royal Lancaster Infirmary before moving to the Royal Preston Hospital where he currently works.

"I'm happy to receive this award, but do so knowing that there are doctors and nurses, both more junior and senior than me, who work just as hard to do the best job possible. The key underpinning feature in all our work is simple: put the needs of our patients first."

He received widespread praise from patients - who described him as “kind and caring” – and staff who said:

“Mr McAleer really does deserve this award for all the hard work he has done since I started working with him. He is an inspiring leader, true hearted, committed, caring, thorough, reliable and always makes the best decision for the patients. ”

“I feel that Mr McAleer should be nominated for the Clinician of the Year award due to his ability to listen, empathise, diagnose and treat illness with competence and compassion, and ensures continuous care.”

Pearse Butler, Chairman of the Morecambe Bay NHS Foundation Trust, said: “Our services, like hospitals across the country, are under real pressure at the moment and staff are working incredibly hard, so I believe it is more important than ever that we take opportunities like this to recognise and celebrate their achievements.