Tracey Davies wins Wales HCSW of the Year Award

Published: 30 November 2012

Tracey Davies has won the Health Care Support Worker Award, at the inaugural RCN in Wales Nurse of the Year Awards.

Tracey is a Tissue Viability HCSW at Hywel Dda Health Board, and the runner up was Claire Smith, Child and Family HCSW at Aneurin Bevan Local Health Board. The presentations were made on Wednesday 28 November at Cardiff City Hall. The HCSW award was sponsored by the Open University in Wales.

Tanis Hand, RCN HCA and AP Adviser and award judge, said: “The standard of competition was extremely high and it was very difficult to choose the shortlist in the HCSW category. Both Claire and Tracey are outstanding examples of HCSWs who have developed their role, taken on education to support their skills and truly made a difference to the people they care for. “Tracey absolutely blew us away with her story and she is a brilliant example of how the HCSWs in Wales are demonstrating excellence in their work.”

Read more about Tracey and Claire below.

Tracey DaviesTracey Davies, Tissue Viability Health Care Support Worker, Hywel Dda Health Board 

Tracey’s role as TVSW 10 years ago was novel within Wales and studied with interest. It started with supporting the team by managing the pressure relieving equipment to ensure the right patient received the right piece of equipment. Tracey was able to extend this role by building strong relationships and eventually offering advice to all members of the multi-disciplinary team.

Tracey had huge potential and undertook an Access to Health course and successfully completed a certificate in education. This qualification combined with extensive knowledge in pressure damage prevention meant she was able to support the team in the roll out of pressure damage prevention training and implementation of the 1000 Lives plus initiatives within the health board. The teaching has lately extended to care homes and community teams involved in patient care with her teaching style and delivery of content is always positively evaluated. The judging panel said: “Tracey linked education, development and lifelong-learning into everyday practice. Exceptional presentation, the panel were blown away by her ability to communicate her passion for the role.”

 

 

Claire SmithClaire Smith, Child and Family Health Care Support Worker, Aneurin Bevan Local Health Board 

Claire is a valued member of the public health nursing team working in Torfaen Sure Start Programme. Claire was the first HCSW in the team to work seamlessly across antenatal and postnatal journeys of children and their families, who are the most vulnerable living in areas of disadvantage. Claire has widened the boundaries of her role and has proved to be an inspirational leader, supporting midwives, health visitors and nursery nurses. Claire supports an antenatal group for teenage parents alongside the teenage midwifery co-ordinator and was instrumental in supporting ‘The New Beginnings Teenage Parent Support Group’.

She supports parents with practical skills and parenting through art and craft, cookery and play. She used her own artwork for the illustrations in the home safety booklet. Claire has achieved a foundation degree in Community Health and Wellbeing, member of Support Worker Advisory Group for Education and Workforce, member of the Healthcare Support Workers Conference Showcase Planning Team, which she has jointly chaired, and publication in the British Journal of Health Care Assistants.  The judging panel said: “Claire is an inspiration and fine ambassador for health care support workers.”