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Posted on 19 Nov 2020

We are delighted to announce that Sarah Atkinson, Learning Disabilities Primary Care Liaison Nurse at the Trust won the Learning Disabilities Nursing Category in the Nursing Times Awards. The prestigious awards celebrate innovations that are improving nurse-led care through the NHS and independent healthcare sector.

The award was given for work developing a wallet sized easy read card to highlight the issue of domestic violence for people with a learning disability, and to identify and support survivors of domestic violence before they become victims.

Sarah developed the card after she discovered a client's history of domestic violence and abuse, and knew she had to find a way of helping her and others in a similar situation.

Sarah said:

“I'm so proud to have won this award. People with learning disabilities are especially vulnerable to domestic violence and abuse and it is essential we talk to them about feeling safe in their home.

"This was a collaborative piece of work and I would like to thank my colleagues in Intellectual Developmental Disabilities (IDD) services and the Trust's Safeguarding Team for their support in this project.

“Raising awareness of domestic violence and how to seek help is such an important issue and making this information accessible to everyone is vital. It is great to have had this work recognised nationally. I hope the cards will be used far and wide to support patients and to keep them safe in their relationships.”

Anne-Maria Newham, Executive Director of Nursing, AHPs and Quality said:

“We were very proud to have been shortlisted in five Nursing Times awards this year and are exceptionally proud of Sarah to have won her award. Her innovative work on developing these cards demonstrates her drive to deliver high quality care and improve outcomes for service users”