Specialist stoma nurse wins research prize

A specialist stoma care nurse who devised a way to speed up recovery from bladder surgery has been awarded a research prize.

Research by Royal Hallamshire Hospital urology department nurse Diane Leach showed that ureteric stents could be removed much earlier than the current practice of ten days following a urostomy operation.

This means patients no longer need to return to hospital for the procedure and can be assessed on the ward rather than by a community nurse.

Ms Leach presented her research at a national conference and her work was brought to the attention of the Association of Stoma Care Nurses UK (ASCN), which awarded her the £500 prize, to be spent at her trust. She was also named joint runner-up in the association's stoma care nurse of the year award. 

After receiving the accolade, Ms Leach said: ‘When I looked into the ten-day wait I realised there is no reason that removal of the stent couldn’t be done sooner, with no complications if the patient is medically well.

‘It helps to reduce length of stay and improves hospital efficiency, and means that patients don’t have to travel back to hospital to have the stents removed.

‘I was really proud to be able to present my research to a national audience. I hadn’t done anything like that before so I was very nervous, but the feedback was really positive.’

Ms Leach is now working with consultants at the hospital to implement her findings.

Nurse director for surgical services Gill Meek said: ‘Diane has done some fantastic work and we are very proud of her achievement.’