Local Nurses win prestigious Nursing Standard Awards 2009

Published: 10 November 2009

Two local nurses have been honoured in the coveted Nursing Standard Awards 2009. Kay Smith, of Luton NHS Walk in Centre and Tracey Smith, Parkinson's Disease Nurse Specialist at Danesbury Neurology Centre in Hertfordshire, received the prestigious awards from actress and television personality Claire Sweeney at a special ceremony on November 9 at the Dorchester in London. 

Kay was joint category winner of the Healthcare Assistant Award - sponsored by the Open University and the Royal College of Nursing Strategic Alliance.  She won the award for her role as Infection Control Lead.  Kay has instilled best practice within the unit and as a result, patients visiting the unit can be confident of a high level of cleanliness and that their visit will be a safe experience.

Tracey was winner of the Innovation in Parkinson's Disease Award, sponsored by  Boehringer Ingelheim and the Parkinson's Disease Society.  Tracey developed a detailed resource pack, crammed with information to help patients with Parkinson's disease, plus a pill timer, to help patients receive their medication on time. The pack has proved so popular with staff, carers and patients that it will be rolled out nationally by the Parkinson's Disease Society. 

Congratulating Tracey and Kay on their fantastic achievement, Karen Webb, Regional Director of RCN Eastern Region said "I am extremely proud to have healthcare workers and nurses such as Kay and Tracey working in this region.  Their work to help drive up the quality of care and to help make the lives of patients safer and more comfortable  lies at the very heart of what the nursing profession is all about.  Tracey and Kay fully deserve the recognition that these prestigious and much coveted awards give". 

Child Health Nurse, Lin Graham-Ray, won the title of Nursing Standard Nurse of the Year 2009.  Ward Manager Almie Mngadi of West Middlesex University Hospital in Isleworth won Ward Manager of the Year and Margaret Heywood won Nursing Standards Patient's Choice Award. 

More information on the Nursing Standard Awards can be found on the Nurse awards website at http://nurseawards.rcnpublishing.co.uk/media/

Notes:

1. The Nursing Standard Nurse Awards 2009 are organised by Nursing Standard, the UK's best‑selling nursing journal and flagship title of the RCN Publishing Company, a wholly owned subsidiary of the Royal College of Nursing (RCN). There are 13 categories, each with a winner and runner-up. One of the 13 winners is selected to receive the ultimate accolade of Nursing Standard Nurse of the Year 2009. 
2. The RCN is the UK's largest specialist nursing body and trade union in the UK. The RCN represents nurses and nursing, promotes excellence in practice and shapes health policies.