RCN announces winners of 2009 Mary Seacole Award
Published: 23 October 2009
Five healthcare professionals were today (21 October) presented with Mary Seacole Leadership and Development Awards at a ceremony held at the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) headquarters in London. The awards will specifically help meet health needs of people from Black and minority ethnic communities.
The winners were announced at the ceremony. Professor Ann Keen MP, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Health, who also delivered a keynote speech to delegates at the ceremony.
The awards recognise nurses, midwives and health visitors who make an outstanding contribution to patient care through development and leadership. The development award - worth up to £6,250 each - enables nurses, midwives and health visitors to undertake a project that benefits the health needs of people from Black and minority ethnic communities.
The leadership awards are worth up to £12,500 each and enable nurses, midwives and health visitors in leadership positions to undertake a project to improve patient care.
The awards were created in honour of the nurse Mary Seacole, who made a significant contribution to nursing in the 19th Century, including nursing wounded British soldiers during the Crimean War. They are funded jointly by the Department of Health and NHS Employers
The awards were jointly hosted by the Department of Health, NHS Employers, RCN, Royal College of Midwives, UNISON and Unite/CPHVA
Dr Peter Carter of the Royal College of Nursing said:
"Mary Seacole dedicated her life to helping others and she is an inspiration to nurses around the world today. These awards were set up in her honour to acknowledge innovative contributions made by health professionals towards the future of patient care. The nurses, midwives and health visitors being recognised today have developed projects that will make a big difference to the way we think about patient care, and in particular the health needs of people from Black and minority ethnic communities."
The new 2009 winners
Mary Seacole Leadership Awards
• Concilia Ajuo, Sister, Northwick Park Hospital, Harrow
Help Seeking Behaviours of black Africans and black Caribbeans to diagnose HIV/AIDS
• Titilayo Babatunde, Lead Public Health Community Nurse, Greenwich Community Health Services
Improving the outcome of postnatal care for women who have experienced significant life trauma before child birth
Mary Seacole Development Awards
• Marion Fallon, Health Protection Nurse Practitioner, Cheshire & Merseyside Health Protection Unit
Hepatitis B in the Chinese population in Liverpool: ideas, beliefs and expectations about preventive services
• Gillian Francis, Health Inclusion Worker for Travellers & Gypsies, City & Hackney Community Health Services
Developing the cultural competence of health professionals working the gypsy traveller community
• Sonia Clarke-Swaby, Recipient Transplant Co-ordinator, King's College Hospital, London
Exploring the understanding and cultural beliefs surrounding organ donation amongst BME populations
The following previous winners who have successfully completed their project were presented with their certificates by Ann Keen MP at the ceremony:
• Stephanie Allen, Staff nurse - Acute medical older people, East Surrey Hospital
A Pilot Study into the Drivers and Barriers to Ethnic Minority Older People accessing health and social care in the UK
• Sandra Anto-Awuakye, Lecturer in Public Health & Primary Care, City University
An exploration into the child rearing practices of South Asian communities living in London's East End: Developing culturally sensitive services within Health Visiting practice
• Ofrah Muflahi, Haemoglobinopathies Nurse Counsellor/Educator, Dudley PCT
Improving the Health of Children and Young people living with Sickle Cell Disease and Thalassaemia
• Pamela Shaw, Health Visitor/Practice Educator Wakefield District Community Health Services
The Positive Contributions of Black and Minority Ethnic Professionals to the National Health Service - Through role models
• Gloria Urhoma, Productive Ward Facilitator, Heatherwood and Wexham Park NHS Foundation Trust
Informing the Development of a Maternity Information DVD for Pakistani Women: a social marketing approach
Ends
Notes for Editors
1. For further information, interviews or illustrations please contact the RCN Media Office on 0207 647 3633, press.office@rcn.org.uk or visit http://www.rcn.org.uk/newsevents/media
2. 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.