The dedication and compassion of Midlands Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust’s (MPFT) invaluable nursing family has been celebrated at a special recognition event.
MPFT’s Celebrating Nursing Event shone a much-deserved spotlight on nurses from across the Trust, with a series of awards and honours presented on the day.
The event was led by Liz Lockett, who reflected on her role both as an NHS nurse and MPFT’s Chief Nurse and Director of Quality & Professional Leadership, and also featured a warm thank you from Trust Chief Executive Neil Carr.
Nominated by their nursing colleagues, the event saw the following awards presented:
- Nurse of the Year: Kate Walker, Team Leader for Looked After Children
- Breeze Award: Sandra Brickley, Clinical Nurse Specialist, Learning Disabilities services
- Innovation in Practice: Wellbeing Days Out & Ward Activities – Milford House, St George’s Hospital in Stafford
- Outstanding Contribution to Nursing Care: Lucy Spriggs, Health Care Support Worker, Learning Disabilities services
- Chief Nurse Recognition: Mick Gooley, Peer Support Worker, Specialist Care Group
- Nightingale Award: Zoe Sherwood, Diabetes Specialist Nurse, Staffordshire & Stoke on Trent Care Group
- Chief Nursing Information Officer Award for Digital Innovation: Lisa Woodward, Manager of Brocton Ward at St George’s Hospital
- Enhancing Staff Experience Award: Ruth Shaw, Acting Manager of Yew Ward, The Redwoods Centre, Shrewsbury
- Award for Outstanding Infection Prevention & Control: Deanne Burch, Lead for the Hep C U Later team
- Placement of the Year: Sexual Health Team in Stoke-on-Trent and North Staffordshire
- Practice Assessor/ Supervisor of the Year: Mandy Hayes, Staff Nurse, Children & Families Care Group
Alongside the award winners, 11 MPFT staff appointed by the Queen’s Nursing Institute among its latest cohort of Queen’s Nurses were also presented with their certificates. The Queen’s Nurse programme brings together community nurses to develop their professional skills and deliver outstanding patient care.
In addition, there was a celebration of MPFT’s long serving nurses, including Staffordshire-based Jane Curtis, who has spent most of her 50-year career as a District Nursing Community Practice Educator and is currently a Clinical Placement Facilitator at the Trust.
Liz said: “It’s impossible to overstate just how proud I am of each and every one of our nursing colleagues. Events such as this enable us to recognise just a few of our staff and teams who have gone above and beyond, and I congratulate them all on this thoroughly deserved recognition. But it’s important to add there are countless other nurses working for MPFT whose care, compassion and dedication are nothing short of inspirational. To our nursing family I say a massive thank you.”
Dr Ian Turner, Director of Nursing & Infection Prevention & Control said: “It was a pleasure to join colleagues at the Nursing Awards and recognise their care, compassion and professionalism. This year we received a high number of nominations from a vast range of services throughout the Trust. All those nominated have demonstrated noteworthy practice and some remarkable examples of high quality and innovative care delivery for our patients and service users and are all worthy of recognition. It is humbling to see the determined efforts of our staff and the way teams show such dedication and enthusiasm for their work.
“This year the awards included the voice of many of our nurses who shared their career highlights in short video clips and explained what nursing means to them and the difference this makes to patients and their families. The event was part of celebrations of International Nurses Day and included colleagues from physical health, mental health, Learning Disability and children’s services throughout the range of Trust services locally and nationally.”
