RCNi Nurse Awards 2019: past winners share their inspiring stories

Cancer Nursing Award winner reflects on how the prize promoted her team’s achievements – and could do the same for yours

The search for the best of the best in nursing has begun with the launch of the RCNi Nurse Awards 2019.

Nurses, students and healthcare assistants are invited to share their innovations and expertise and celebrate their contribution to making patient care better and improving outcomes.

Entries are open to individuals and teams and as well as the Cancer Nursing Award and the Excellence in Cancer Research Award, there are new categories for 2019, including Team of the Year, Continence Promotion, Infection Prevention and Control, Respiratory Nursing, Excellence in Diabetes Care and Skin and Wound Care.

The Patient’s Choice category, which gives patients an opportunity to nominate a nurse or healthcare assistant who has made a difference to their lives, will be decided by a public vote.

The judging panel will be chaired by Yvonne Coghill, NHS England’s director of The Workforce Race Equality Standard. The RCN fellow was made CBE this year for her services to racial equality in the NHS.

Showcase for hard work and innovation

Ms Coghill says: ‘I am delighted to have been invited to be chair of the judging panel for the RCNi Nurse Awards 2019.

‘Overseeing these prestigious awards is a privilege and honour and I very much look forward to reading the many wonderful nominations I know we will receive showcasing the hard-working and innovative nurses we have in the UK.’

'Being named RCN Nurse of the Year 2018 has been massively rewarding, resulting in further achievements in my field’

Angela Hall, RCN Nurse of the Year 2018

The RCN Nurse of the Year 2019 will be chosen from the category winners and announced at the awards ceremony in London on July 3.

The current holder of the title is arrhythmia nurse specialist Angela Hall, who impressed the judges by leading the introduction of a new drug to treat rapid onset atrial fibrillation at Jersey General Hospital. ‘Being named RCN Nurse of the Year 2018 has been massively rewarding in so many ways,' she says. ‘It has raised my profile and resulted in further achievements in my specialist field.’

Ms Hall was nominated by her colleague Kellyanne Kinsella who hoped ‘it would help her realise how amazing she is’.

But for Ms Hall raising the profile of arrhythmia and cardiology nursing is more important. She adds: ‘It has been exciting for Jersey.

‘I have just this week been named States of Jersey employee of the year following on from the publicity and acknowledgement of my work and service developments. I have also won an ‘AF Pioneers’ award for the second time.

‘I am attending an event at the Palace of Westminster and I am going to Public Health England to meet its deputy chief nurse and professor in cardiovascular disease.’

Recognition for metastatic cancer of unknown origin team

All our winners and finalists testify to the huge difference the awards have made to them personally and professionally, and their projects.

The winner of the Cancer Nursing Award 2018 was Gillian Knowles and the metastatic cancer of unknown origin team from NHS Lothian.

The team is the first in Scotland to develop a service for patients diagnosed with metastatic cancer of unknown primary (mCUP). These patients had been falling outside existing pathways despite their complex care journeys with numerous hospital stays and investigations and poor prognosis.

The team was nominated by the executive director of their NHS board and lead nurse for clinical research as an example of service innovation and quality improvement.

‘The award has also been helpful in raising the profile of the nursing contribution to service innovation and promoting nurses to run with a good idea – they have many’

Gillian Knowles, winner of the RCNi Cancer Nursing Award 2018

‘It was a very good experience for a number of reasons. First, to have our work recognised by our own organisation and through the RCNi judging process for the cancer nursing category was superb. 

‘Preparing for the judging process was very helpful as it allowed me to reflect on what the nursing contribution was in developing the service and the importance of the role and advanced skills that cancer nurses have in supporting people with mCUP and the complexities attached. 

‘The awards evening was really good – in part because we won but also because we were in a room full of committed and innovative colleagues who are doing fantastic work across the country. I felt very proud to be part of that group.’

The award has also helped raise the profile of the service. 

Colleagues’ response

‘My organisation has been fantastic in celebrating the award and I was overwhelmed by the positive response we received from colleagues,’ adds Ms Knowles.

‘It has also been helpful in raising the profile of the nursing contribution to service innovation and promoting nurses to run with a good idea – they have many.

‘I would definitely recommend organisations and peers nominate colleagues in recognition of the tremendous work nurses do day in and day out that makes a difference to the people in our care.’

The Excellence in Cancer Research Award 2018 was won by Foteini Rozakeas for her work screening, recruiting, organising consent and registering patients into the PEACE – the Posthumous Evaluation of Advanced Cancer Environment – study.

Also in 2018 – and for the first time – the judges announced a Special Recognition award. Mental health nurse and former boxer Mark Field impressed the judges with his decades of voluntary work helping thousands of adults and children with mental illness and behaviour problems improve their physical health through his boxing club. 

Mr Field, who himself has a bipolar diagnosis, says: ‘I entered the awards to shine a light on the importance of helping people with mental illness improve their physical health and giving them a place to go in the community without any stigma.

‘My award has absolutely raised my work’s profile and I have had lots of emails about the work we do here – and an increase in referrals.

‘But I know there are many other nurses out there who are, like me, doing what they can for their community and patients in their own time. I would recommend they enter the awards as they deserve the recognition too.’

For nurse consultant Yvonne Manson, winning the Leadership Award for her dementia programme was a valuable opportunity to shine a light on the care home sector.  

‘After winning, people contacted me on social media to say how it had inspired them to pursue a career in care homes. That meant a lot to me, having fought the stigma for most of my career’

Yvonne Manson, dementia nurse consultant

‘I entered the RCNi Nurse Awards to highlight the innovation in the sector and the career you can enjoy from working in care homes. I am incredibly proud of the Balhousie dementia programme I have led in the past two and a half years and the work that has gone into it. I wanted to share that with others.

‘After winning, people contacted me on social media to say how it had inspired them to pursue a career in care homes and to be proud to do so. That meant a lot to me, having fought the stigma for most of my career.’

She ‘highly recommends’ colleagues nominate themselves or others for the 2019 awards, adding: ‘Not only can it support the development of your work but there is something very special about being recognised by your peers.’

The deadline for entries is 1 February.

Click here for more on the RCNi Nurse Awards