21 March 2019
The British Journal of Nursing Awards ceremony was held on 8th March 2019. A range of nursing professionals were awarded for their work in specialist fields. They were recognised for making outstanding contributions and for putting patient care at the heart of their roles, inspiring other colleagues and helping drive the profession forwards.
Oncology Nurse of the Year was sponsored by UKONS and the winner was Mary Woods from The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust. Mary is a Nurse Consultant in Lymphoedema and was presented with the award for her work in developing and implementing competencies for nurses moving into lymphoedema services. Mary realised that new members of the team needed to develop a wide range of skills when advising and treating patients with lymphoedema. She therefore developed a structured competency framework to support them over the first 6 months, the aim being to develop and sustain a team of committed and supported therapists and to ensure that a high-quality clinical service is delivered to all. Patient feedback has reported satisfaction with the quality of the advice and the care they have received in the management of their cancer related lymphoedema. New team members have been supported to develop new skills in the easy to follow, structured, format of the competency framework, which also encourages a critical thinking approach to learning.
The second place was taken by Sharon Treacy, a Nurse Consultant in Breast Cancer working on the island of Guernsey who has introduced a holistic and bio psychosocial approach to care. This includes developing a programme based around exercise and health education enabling women to develop the skills to manage their physical and mental health after a breast cancer diagnosis. She has also led on a care and compassion programme for the all staff of her organisation.
In third place was Mercy Cabrega, Haematology Matron from North Tees and Hartlepool NHS Foundation Trust. Mercy achieved the award for her work in developing a nurse-led approach to bone-marrow biopsies which has revolutionised the way bone marrow biopsies are carried out, improving outcomes for patients by reducing waiting times.
The ceremony took place at the Globe Theatre in Central London and was hosted by TV adventurer and obstetrician Dr Ed Coates. The prize was presented to Mary Woods on behalf of UKONS by Mark Foulkes, UKONS board member.