South West RCN member Geoffrey Walker named Nurse of the Year 2013
Published: 12 April 2013
Congratulations to Royal College of Nursing (RCN) member Geoffrey Walker who has received the prestigious national award of Nurse of the Year 2013, from the British Journal of Nursing.
Geoffrey, who works as matron of general medicine, cardiology and specialist nursing services at Poole Hospital NHS Foundation Trust in Dorset, was presented the award by television personality and campaigner, Esther Rantzen, at an event ceremony at Shakespeare’s Globe in London on 22 March 2013.
Geoffrey said: “I'm really touched and humbled to receive an award such as this, not only for myself but on behalf of nursing. I only knew three weeks beforehand that I’d been nominated and shortlisted, and the announcement was made that night on stage, so it was a complete surprise.”
The award recognises Geoffrey’s outstanding contribution to patient care, in a career spanning over 25 years. Geoffrey is responsible for founding the cardiology patient support group at Poole Hospital, which has now been running for ten years, and also opened and developed the hospital’s nurse-lead medical investigations unit, as an alternative to inpatient admissions.
Geoffrey said: “The medical investigations unit is going from strength to strength – initially we were seeing 30 patients a week, and now we deal with 150 to 180 a week, who would have previously required a hospital stay.”
Geoffrey added: “I am as enthusiastic today about my role as the day I started in 1985. I enjoy the day to day contact with patients and staff, and I think that it’s vitally important as matron that you remain clinically based, so that you interact on a daily basis with the people you manage and the recipients of care. That’s one of the things that makes me feel quite humble, receiving award for something that I enjoy so much.”
In 2009, Geoffrey received an OBE in recognition of his services to nursing. Geoffrey also volunteers as the vice president of the British Red Cross in Dorset, is a vice president for Poole Heart Support Group, and an honorary vice president of the Florence Nightingale Foundation. He is a lecturer practitioner at the University of Bournemouth, and has been a magistrate for East Dorset for 17 years.
Jeannett Martin, RCN South West Regional Director, said: “Geoffrey’s award is a superb achievement in a lifetime that has been devoted to providing outstanding patient care. Geoffrey is a keen advocate of the nursing profession, and his enthusiasm for his role and commitment to improving patient services really shine through. We are delighted to know Geoffrey intends to become an RCN steward in the near future, and wish him every success going forward.”
Julie Smith, British Journal of Nursing editor and a judge of the Nurse of the Year category, said: “Geoffrey's nomination was, for me, a clear winner. His dedication to nursing goes above and beyond all expectations. His passion for excellence in nursing and developing and improving patient care is unmatched. It is nurses like Geoffrey who restore our faith in the profession and we are absolutely delighted to have awarded him BJN Nurse of the Year 2013."