RCN Northern Ireland Nurse of the Year Launch
Published: 04 December 2008
Search on to find Northern Ireland’s top nurse!
The search is on to find the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) Northern Ireland Nurse of the Year 2009. The awards were launched today, Wednesday 3 December, by the 2008 joint-winner, Garvin McKnight and RCN Northern Ireland Director Mary Hinds.
Organised by the RCN, this is the thirteenth year of the awards which are designed to recognise and reward excellence in the nursing profession. Next year’s ceremony will be held on 4 June 2009 at the Ramada Hotel, Belfast.
This year’s winners, Garvin McKnight and Elsie Clinghan, won the award for their work in leading a pilot project developed by the Home Office for men with mild to moderate learning disability. The pilot at Muckamore is the only one located within a health care setting, the others being based within the Criminal Justice System.
Commenting on the awards, Mary Hinds, RCN Northern Ireland Director said: “Our aim is to focus the eyes of the community on the achievement of local nurses and the contribution they make to improving patient care. Nurses like Garvin and Elsie illustrate the diverse nature of nursing today. Our nurses work extremely hard to provide a high level of care to patients, often within a pressurised environment and are playing a leading role in developing our health services. We don’t often hear about the benefits gained from the research and initiatives they have pioneered and these awards provide an opportunity to recognise this.
“It is also an opportunity for the public to show how much they value the work that nurses carry out. I would urge any member of the public to nominate a nurse they feel has made a special contribution to their care, or that of a friend or member of their family, for the Patient’s Choice Award.
“This will also be the second year of the Health Care Support Worker award which is supported by the Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety. We are looking for a health care assistant or nursing auxiliary who has made a clear difference to patient care.
“This is a challenging time for the health service in Northern Ireland which makes it all the more important to recognise nurses for their hard work and commitment to patient care. These awards are the perfect opportunity to highlight the benefits gained from the innovative and progressive initiatives that have been pioneered by local nurses.”
Application forms for all categories are available from the RCN by telephoning 028 90 384 600. The closing date for entries is 30 January 2009.
Notes to Editors:
Award categories
The RCN Northern Ireland Nurse of the Year Award seeks to recognise professional excellence, innovation and leadership within nursing and is open to all registered nurses and midwives working in all health care sectors in Northern Ireland. Candidates are required to demonstrate that they were instrumental in setting up a project, or initiated and led changes in nursing practice, that have had a demonstrable benefit for patient care. Download the RCN Northern Ireland Nurse of the Year Award application form (pdf 280KB).
The Patient’s Choice Award, sponsored by GlaxoSmithKline, rewards practitioners who have specifically been nominated by patients and members of the public in recognition of the care that they have provided and is open to all registered nurses, midwives and health care assistants working in all health care sectors in Northern Ireland. Patients, clients or relatives can nominate someone whom they believe has made a difference and has gone that extra bit further to ensure that the patient has received the highest standards of care. Download the RCN Northern Ireland Patient's Choice Award application form (pdf 238KB).
The Team Manager Award, sponsored by Pfizer, is open to all nursing and midwifery team managers currently working in all health care sectors in Northern Ireland who succeed in raising standards of care for their patients and clients. Nominations are invited from fellow health and social care professionals. Download the RCN Northern Ireland Team Manager Award application form (pdf 285KB).
The Chief Nursing Officer’s Award, sponsored by the Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety, seeks to recognise registered nurses, midwives or health care assistants who have made a substantial and significant contribution to enhancing patient safety in Northern Ireland, or who have led a either a nursing or multi-disciplinary team that has made that difference.
The Student Award, sponsored by the Queen’s University of Belfast, is open to all pre-registration nursing students in Northern Ireland. The award aims to recognise and reward excellence in professional education. Download the RCN Northern Ireland Student Award application form (pdf 377KB).
The Health Care Support Worker Award, sponsored by the DHSSPS, is open to any health care assistant or nursing auxiliary who works as part of the nursing team and has demonstrated commitment to high standards of patient care. Download the RCN Northern Ireland Health Care Support Worker Award application form (pdf 319KB).
The Nursing Research Award, sponsored by the University of Ulster, is open to registered nurses and midwives working in all health care sectors in Northern Ireland and aims to recognise and reward quality and excellence in nursing research. Candidates can nominate themselves or can be nominated by a colleague or their research supervisor. Download the RCN Northern Ireland Nursing Research Award application form (pdf 344KB).
The Outstanding Achievement Award, sponsored by Boehringer Ingelheim, will be awarded to a nurse who has made an outstanding contribution to nursing in Northern Ireland.
