Our achievements

Posted on 25 Aug 2020

The Trust has been shortlised for five Nursing Times awards. The prestigious awards celebrate innovations that are improving nurse-led care through the NHS and independant healthcare sector.

Sarah Atkinson, Learning Disabilities Primary Care Liaison Nurse, is a finalist in the Learning Disabilities Nursing category for her work developing a wallet sized easy read card to highlight the issue of domestic violence for people with a learning disability. It is essential we talk to people with learning disabilities about feeling safe in their home, and to identify and support survivors of domestic violence before they become victims. Sarah hopes the cards will be used far and wide to support patients and to keep them safe in their relationships.

Sarah said: “I’m honoured and excited to have been shortlisted for a Nursing Times Award. Domestic violence and abuse is such an important issue and making this information accessible to everyone is vital.”

Holly Atkinson and Fiona Lamb from the Community Forensic Intellectual Developmental Disability Team (CFIDD) have also been shortlisted in the Learning Disabilities Nursing category. They have developed educational packages that were adapted to meet the needs of individuals with communication difficulties who have an Intellectual Development Disability and Autism Spectrum Disorder (IDD/ASD) diagnosis and are subject to restriction orders under the Mental Health Act. The aim of these packages is to support individuals who have been discharged from an inpatient setting, to understand their legal framework in the community.

Holly said: “We are passionate about achieving equality and enabling individuals with an IDD/ASD to have autonomy over their future goals and choices. We are keen to promote and share our practice with other colleagues and the Nursing Times Awards seems the perfect forum to do this on a national level, so other practitioners could consider such interventions.”

Sally Robbins-Cherry, Nurse Consultant in Transgender Healthcare, is a finalist in the Nurse Leader of the Year category. As the first nurse consultant in transgender healthcare, Sally is passionate about developing the role of the nurse in this field.

Historically, transgender healthcare has been medically and psychology led. Sally has challenged and lead the way for the recognition of nurses and the skills they, as a profession, bring to improve patient care and experience. She has developed the first nurse competencies for nurses working in transgender healthcare to extend and advance the nursing role in transgender healthcare.

Sally said: “I’m extremely proud to lead our strong nursing team in our clinic and we are leading the way for all nurses that work in this field. I continue to fight for recognition of the skills nurses bring to this specialist area and how this will improve patient care.”

The Trust’s Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) are exceptionally proud to hear that the Mental Health Support Teams (MHST) have been shortlisted in the Children’s Services category. The teams operate across Nottinghamshire and were one of the first in the country to be operational. They offer early interventions to young people struggling with their mental health, such as Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, directly within education settings. They have received positive feedback from young people, stakeholders and partners. The MHST Team are now planning to further expand provision across Nottinghamshire, Bassetlaw, Newark and Sherwood, which will mean greater access in a timely manner for young people.

Sarah Grainger, Service Manager said: “I am extremely proud of the team to be shortlisted for this award. They have worked extremely hard since the service launched in 2018 to ensure young people have had the support they need within education settings across Nottinghamshire. The team are now sharing this model with others nationally, demonstrating further the success of this service. Well done MHST and CAMHS!”

The Trust’s Offender Health Team at IRC Morton Hall is also celebrating being shortlisted for the HRH Integrated Approaches to Care Award. The team has been recognised for its work in partnership with United Lincolnshire Hospitals Trust and Nottingham University Hospitals Trust to develop a test and treatment pathway to tackle Hepatitis C in the Immigration Removal Centre(IRC). Patients had previously disengaged with testing and treatment due to the length of time it took to receive test results and arrange treatment. Now patients are seen on site by the Hep C Nurse Specialist who carries out testing and then advises regarding treatment and options for this are discussed.

Sara Jones, Physical Health Clinical Lead said: “I am so proud of the team for this work. Previously patients had to wait for venous blood tests and results, but now treatment can be prescribed on receipt of a Dry Blood Spot Test.  The team has also increased clinics and a courier service has been arranged to ensure timely delivery of medication. Following increased awareness raising and education about the condition and lifestyle, uptake of Blood Borne Virus screening has increased to 92% - a huge achievement.”

Anne-Maria Newham, Executive Director of Nursing, comments:

“To be nominated for not one but five Nursing Times awards is a major accolade for all frontline staff involved and our Trust.

"We consistently strive to overcome challenges in order to deliver high quality care and the teams and individuals have really helped to improve outcomes for our service users.

“To have been shortlisted in the four different categories illustrates the diversity of our Trust and the varied work we do. The teams should feel very proud.”

Winners will be announced at a virtual awards ceremony on 18 November.

For more information, visit https://awards.nursingtimes.net