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Well-being fund set up in memory of a nurse who died by suicide

The Amin Abdullah RCN Foundation grant will make annual awards of up to £1,000 to nurse-led projects that focus on NHS staff facing workforce challenges

The Amin Abdullah RCN Foundation grant will make annual awards of up to £1,000 to nurse-led projects that focus on NHS staff facing workforce challenges

A well-being fund has been set up in memory of nurse Amin Abdullah, who died by suicide
Amin Abdullah

A new fund for programmes that focuses on nurses’ well-being has been set up in memory of a nurse who died by suicide.

The Amin Abdullah RCN Foundation grant will make annual awards of up to £1,000 to any nurse-led project that focuses on nurses’ well-being, particularly in light of patient safety and workforce challenges facing many NHS staff.

Nurse dismissed from his job after supporting a colleague

Amin Abdullah died after setting himself on fire outside Kensington Palace in 2016. At the time he had been dismissed from his job at Charing Cross Hospital in London after supporting a colleague who had been treated harshly by a patient.

An independent inquiry report later found Mr Abdullah had been treated unfairly by Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust, which runs the hospital.

Following Mr Abdullah’s death, his partner Terry Skitmore, clinical psychologist and founder of the Nurse Wellbeing Mission Dr Nathan Illman, and well-being campaigner Dr Narinder Kapur helped establish a well-being grant in his name through the RCN Foundation.

Initiative will recognise nurses’ efforts to improve colleagues’ well-being

Dr Kapur, a long-time campaigner for reform of the NHS disciplinary culture, said: ‘This initiative will recognise the fantastic efforts made by nurses to improve the well-being of their colleagues, at what is a particularly trying time for the profession in the midst of an NHS staffing crisis.

‘Throughout the pandemic, the public caught a glimpse of the pressures facing health and social care staff and the mental toll this caused – but this is sadly the daily reality for so many, and this must change.

‘Staff well-being must be supported, or else more in these professions who feel unsupported will leave, which will then have a major impact on patient care.’

RCN Foundation director Deepa Korea added: ‘We look forward to identifying nurse-led projects focused on nurse well-being and compassionate support to maintain high standards of patient safety within clinical nursing practice.

‘We feel very privileged to be able to help honour Amin’s memory in this way.’

The grant is open to registered nurses across the UK. You can apply for the grant here.


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The Amin Abdullah RCN Foundation Grant


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