Nurses and midwife presented with the Mary Seacole awar

Published: 09 October 2007

Six outstanding nurses and midwifes were today presented with  the Mary Seacole Leadership and Development Awards at a ceremony held at the  South African High Commission in London hosted by the Department of Health, NHS  Employers Royal College of Nursing, Royal College of Midwives, UNISON and  Unite/CPHVA, 

The nurses were presented with their awards by Ann Keen MP,  Parliamentary Under-Secretary for Health. Lord Victor Adebowale also spoke at  the event.

The awards are jointly funded by the Department  of Health and NHS Employers. They provide an opportunity to nurses, midwives  and health visitors to undertake a year-long project or an  educational/development activity, to enhance patient-focused care. The winners  of the two leadership awards will receive a bursary of £12,500, and the four  development awards winners receive a bursary of £6,250.

The new 2007 winners

  • Stephanie  Allen, Staff Nurse, Acute Medical Older People, Surrey and Sussex NHS Trust.  Project: MSC in Medical Anthropology research project
  • Gillian  Houghton, Midwife, Liverpool Women’s NHS Foundation Trust.  Project: Developing an Informational DVD for Maternity Care
  • Nana Quawson,  School Health Advisor, Tower Hamlets PCT.  Project: Health and well-being in the Family
  • Musiiwa Takavarasha, Specialist Nurse in Sexual Health, Asylum and  Refugee Centre for Health, Birmingham.   Project: Sexual Health along Asylum process: A  convergence of two crises: Exploring perceptions of sexual health risks and  sexual health seeking behaviour among new arrival Asylum seekers in Birmingham
  • Stella Sebuwufu, Screening Coordinator for infectious diseases/HIV  midwife, Mayday NHS Trust.  Project:  To aid in the improvement of maternity services for HIV positive women  in Croydon
  • Beverly  Thomas, Senior Sister, Barking, Havering and Redbridge NHS Trust.  Project: Engaging key stakeholders to deliver high dependency care  in a reconfigured neurosurgical ward on Sahara B at Queens Hospital, Romford  Essex

-ends-

Notes to Editors

For further information,  interviews or illustrations please contact the RCN Media Office on 0207 647  3633, press.office@rcn.org.uk or visit RCN media centre

Royal College of Nursing (RCN) is the voice of nursing across the UK and is the largest professional  union of nursing staff in the world.  The  RCN promotes the interest of nurses and patients on a  wide range of issues and helps shape healthcare policy by working closely with the UK Government and other national and  international institutions, trade unions, professional bodies and voluntary  organisations.

The Royal  College of Midwives represents over 95% of the UK's practising midwives, and is  the world's oldest and largest midwifery organisation. It works to advance the  interests of midwives and the midwifery profession and, by doing so, enhances  the wellbeing of women, babies and families.

UNISON is the  UK's largest health union representing 240,000 nurses, midwives and health  visitors, and campaigns in defence of public services, works for improved pay  and conditions and provides professional advice. It also offers support and  representation on problems at work.

Unite/CPHVA –  the UK's third largest nursing union – represents health visitors, school  nurses, practice nurses, district nurses and nursery nurses working in the  community in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. The CPHVA is a  professional section of the Unite trade union.