Watch the video to find out who has won this prestigious nursing award. Good luck to all the finalists!
The finalists for the Nursing Support Worker Award
Rebecca Greenacre
Norfolk and Norwich University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
As an assistant practitioner on a general medical ward with many frail patients, Rebecca Greenacre devised a booklet Beat Bedbound Boredom in Hospital to encourage exercise and mental stimulation. It also contained hospital discharge information. She wrote and printed the first draft, tested it on colleagues, patients and relatives, devising a questionnaire to gather opinions. After linking with the quality improvement lead, she has revised the booklet into a publication for every patient on the ward and is using a PDSA (Plan, Do, Study, Act) approach to evaluate patient feedback. The final publication will be edited and published with support from the trust.
Alex Worgan
Velindre University NHS Trust
Dedicated healthcare support worker Alex Worgan’s passion for improving the care and support of patients and their families saw her join the multidisciplinary dignity group at Velindre Cancer Centre. When the centre lost momentum and its chair stepped down, Ms Worgan moved out of her comfort zone to take the helm, learning new skills to write agendas, book meetings, access Welsh translation services and control group conversations. Newsletters are regularly distributed to all staff. With her infectious enthusiasm and commitment, she has reinvigorated the centre, guiding it to be an award winning, proactive and productive champion of patient dignity.
Rea Pugh-Davies
Swansea Bay University Health Board
As part of the learning disability team at Neath Port Talbot Hospital theatres, healthcare support worker Ms Pugh-Davies’ helps to maintain patient safety standards. These standards have dramatically improved her patients’ experience and health. She attends best interest meetings to ensure she knows people’s likes and dislikes before developing individualised care plans, going the extra mile to print favourite posters to display in theatres or sourcing favourite films or music to alleviate patients’ anxiety. Her precision planning and desensitisation saw one patient accept his surgery and make changes to his strict routine that have enhanced his quality of life.
Michelle Milne
Children’s Hospices Across Scotland
Good staff morale and well-being are paramount to ensuring staff can provide a high standard of palliative and end of life care for children and their families. Acknowledging that her colleagues worked in an emotionally and psychologically difficult environment and that morale was low, senior support worker Ms Milne initiated, developed and implemented Time4Teams. These group sessions allow teams to do something together including commando training, coastal rowing and dancing. Ms Milne negotiates with nurse managers so the sessions are in work time and contacts outside facilitators. It has been such a success that it is now an integral part of the organisation’s mandatory training.
Robin Kelly
Belfast Health and Social Care Trust
North Belfast Day Centre support worker Robin Kelly delivers a programme of activities for adults with mental health challenges including schizophrenia and personality disorders. He has developed angling, exercise, arts and crafts, gardening, cooking and even jam making skills to ensure he offers what service users need and want to practise. His main focus is developing and delivering psychotherapeutic groups such as relapse prevention, anxiety management, resilience building and assertiveness training. The groups are so valued that people do not want to leave even when recovered. He is a dedicated advocate and attends community forums in his own time to raise awareness of the services.
Related articles
