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Vote now: who will be the RCN Nursing Awards 2021 Patient’s Choice?

Our six finalists were nominated by members of the public for their outstanding care and dedication

Voting is now open for a prestigious award in which patients nominate a nurse whose care has had an enormous impact on their lives.

The winner of the Patient’s Choice category of the RCN Nursing Awards, one of nursing’s top accolades, will be chosen by the public.

Patient’s Choice Award nominees

The award, sponsored by nurse uniform provider Alexandra, enables members of the public to thank a nurse, midwife, health visitor or nursing support worker who has provided exceptional care. Voting is open to all.

RCN Nursing Awards 2021: vote for your Patient’s Choice

Six inspirational nurses have been chosen as our finalists from scores of nominations:

  • A former nurse in Wales nominated the community paediatric oncology outreach nurse specialist who has been caring for her daughter since her diagnosis with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia – even on her days off over Christmas, as well as advocating for the same-sex parents.
  • The mother of a young man from Stoke-on-Trent with complex needs nominated his nurse for her ‘compassion and the way she listens and puts my son at the heart of everything she does’. The nurse has transformed his care and for the first time he feels believed and understood.
  • A woman with mental and physical ill health nominated her Essex community nurse for her unwavering support and understanding, stating: ‘She’s comforted me and talked me out of suicide. In the darkest of times, she has given me some light and made me feel human.’
  • A 17-year-old from Kent nominated a junior sister who helped her turn her life around after life-changing spinal injuries, saying: ‘We could talk about my worries or about life outside the ward. She made me feel wanted and that I deserved the help, which I had always found hard to believe.’
  • A Northern Ireland nurse who sadly died this year but made a huge impact in his community. Nominations include accounts of numerous occasions where he went above and beyond to get people with terminal cancer discharged from hospital to spend time with their families.
  • Two London ward leaders who ‘did everything they could to ease the pain’ for two sisters when their mother was at the end of life were nominated for the outstanding care they gave the whole family and the relationship of ‘complete trust’ they created during a terrible time.

Showcasing how the profession makes a difference

Gary Bell

Alexandra head of customer experience Ian Northmore said: ‘Alexandra has been designing and making nursing uniforms for over 150 years and we are incredibly honoured and proud to be main sponsor of the 2021 RCN Nursing Awards and of the Patient’s Choice award category.

‘I can’t tell you how much we’ve genuinely been moved and humbled by the stories of the life-changing and life-affirming difference nurses, across a range of specialties, are making every single day. Thank you from everyone here at Alexandra.’

RCN Nursing Awards 2021 finalists

Gary Bell, editorial director of RCNi, which publishes Nursing Standard, was on the panel that decided the six finalists.

He said: ‘These finalists demonstrate the diversity of modern nursing and the impact the profession has on the lives of people of all ages and from all walks of life, in a wide range of settings throughout the UK.

‘We are delighted to be showcasing the profession's reach and the difference it makes to individuals, families and entire communities.’

Vote now: choose your Patient’s Choice Award winner


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