Our achievements

Posted on 18 Mar 2022

A nurse from Nottinghamshire Healthcare’s team at Rampton Hospital is in the running for two amazing national awards – Mental Health Nurse of the Year and the Innovation Award in the British Journal of Nursing (BJN) Awards 2022.

Meagan McNaney, Nurse Consultant and Head of Nursing and Quality, has been shortlisted for her work with the Personality Disorder Service and a transition project supporting patients moving on from high secure settings. The aim is to improve the patient journey and experience.

Transforming patient care

The judges said that Meagan’s project has completely transformed the care for patients who move from Rampton’s high secure setting to another service.

Meagan explained that the project is underpinned by evidence-based research and is co-produced with patients. “Patients can be with our service for anything from five to 20 years, which is a long time, so it’s crucial that we deliver the best support when they move on to another service, in ways that meet their needs.

“We take a patient-led, individualised approach that helps the patient to build relationships with their new team before moving and bring to a close their existing relationships within current services. This project is unique; there is nothing else that currently compares within the UK.”

Unprecedented success

The transition project has improved patient care from the initial idea of moving on, to being completely discharged from the service, and everything in between. “Since the project started, 24 men have moved on from Rampton Hospital – more than triple any other period – and no one has had to return, which is an unprecedented level of success,” said Meagan.

“We have built excellent relationships with medium secure units and the prison service which enhance the patient’s onward journey and care and we offer outreach support following discharge. One patient had been in Rampton for 20 years and did not want to leave; however with individualised, collaborative support they have now been successfully discharged to medium security and are enjoying community leave and visiting with family.”

Sharing the learning

The transition project can be replicated in any setting and other services within the trust are now using the same methods to support patients moving from medium or low secure to the community.  

The work also links into a national programme in prison nursing and it has been described as the Gold Standard for supporting patient care by a National Research Team. The transition project has improved patient pathways across all levels of security and a written manual will be shared with other providers for supporting patient transition. 

Sharing the success

The BJN Awards recognise clinical excellence in nursing. They will be presented at a prestigious annual event on 25 March at The Underglobe, London. Meagan said: “I am thrilled to be representing Rampton Hospital and Nottinghamshire Healthcare, a trust I have worked with for almost 20 years.

“I am extremely proud of the work done in the Personality Disorder service and I am especially proud of the transition project and the patients who have helped shape and develop this excellent new service. I have everything crossed for the awards ceremony!”

Go to https://www.bjnawards.co.uk/ for more information.