Learning in Practice Award

Practice-based learning is fundamental to maintaining the nursing workforce and creating a positive learning environment allows nursing staff and students to develop and thrive.

Open to registered nurses, midwives and nursing support workers who demonstrate an innate understanding of the importance of learning and development. This award aims to recognise those who provide effective supervision and assessment, create high-quality learning environments, act as a role model and who build and maintain relationships to enable and support learning and development in the workplace.

Nurses, midwives or nursing support workers who are engaged in supporting practice-based learning, disseminating innovative practice and have taken steps to create a positive learning environment for students and colleagues.

Team Leader, Complex Care Team, Community Nursing Adult Services, NHS Tayside

Described by colleagues as inspirational, Cath designed, developed and established a community based service to deliver leg ulcer, wound, and catheter care to the people of Dundee. Starting with a clear plan, she began by networking with local GPs and Practice Managers to identify the best locations for services and the staff who could deliver the service. With the GMS contract as a basis for her work, she developed business plans using her own knowledge and research of the local community and their health needs. With person centred care at its heart, this first of its kind project in Scotland has become a national gold standard and Cath has showcased it to both national and European health improvement conference delegates. She has also inspired and empowered the nursing staff who deliver the service by ensuring protected learning time which assured them their learning was being prioritised and valued. Cath sees her role not only to run the service but also to motivate and inspire the team to do its best and maintain their own wellbeing. With the team behind her, they have increased capacity and ultimately reduced readmission to hospital. With Cath shortly about to retire, her colleagues speak of her service as the positive legacy she will pass on to the future nurses of Dundee.

Musselburgh Primary Care Centre, NHS Lothian

Described by colleagues as a team that breaks the mould in primary care, the Care When It Counts (CWIC) team was set up as an alternative way to meet the health and care needs of the community of East Lothian where access to GP services was a challenge. Key to the success of the initiative was the adequate training of staff. The nursing staff of the multi disciplinary team developed a training model which supports nurses to achieve qualifications in clinical decision making (CDM), prescribing and advanced nursing practice. Training takes place in a work environment giving team members the ability to develop the skills and knowledge and implement these in a patient centred environment. The team is led daily by an ANP who oversees clinical operations while continuing to coordinate training needs. Recognising the benefit of multi-disciplinary working, the team recently supported AHPs through CDM and is testing an Advanced Physiotherapy Practitioner joining the team to improve patient journeys for those with chronic respiratory issues. The team is extremely proud of its work to reduce waiting lists, improving accessibility, and demonstrate that there are alternatives in primary care to the traditional general practice model. The team is clear that while recruitment is important, there must be protected time for nursing staff to progress training to support the increasing health and care needs of patients.

Cunninghame House, NHS Ayrshire & Arran

Described by colleagues as enthusiastic visible leaders, the Irvine based Senior Mental Health Nurses strive to demonstrate the value placed in their team and to give them belief and confidence in their abilities to do their best for their patients. By creating positive learning environments, the team exude enthusiasm for mental health care and empower development to ensure the service is fit for now and into the future. Key to this is their commitment to supporting newly qualified nursing staff into the service and the positive impact on their clinical practice and confidence in delivering care. The team lead and facilitate opportunities for staff to take the time to reflect on their practice and to make improvements during action learning sets, but also ensure that everyone can celebrate successes. This was evident in their recent event to share good practice with poster displays and presentations, opportunities to network and a chance to remind everyone why they do what they do. Through positive role modelling, the team hope to move into other avenues such as visiting schools to inspire children to consider a career in mental health nursing.

If you have any questions or queries regarding the awards, please get in touch by emailing scotlandnurseawards@rcn.org.uk

Return to the homepage

NHS Education for Scotland (NES) helps people who work in health and social care to get the education, training, and skills they need to provide good quality care for people in Scotland.  
 
We are the education, training, workforce development, data and technology provider for health and social care in Scotland. Our goal is to create a workforce that meets people's needs, as well as the needs of staff, carers, and the people of Scotland - by working in partnership with our staff, learners and stakeholders. 
 
We are adaptable, creative and responsive to the needs of the workforce and the communities they serve. We work with our learners, educators, partners, stakeholders and people with lived experience to continually improve our education and training to support good quality health and social care.

We support the education and lifelong learning needs of nurses, midwives, allied health professionals and healthcare support workers in all roles, at all levels of the NMAHP career framework:

• we provide digital learning resources, promoting safe, effective and person-centred care 
• we develop career and educational pathways, which support consistent role development of the NMAHP workforce 
• we commission education which supports transformational change reflecting current and future needs of the health and social care workforce 
• we offer funded educational opportunities for the development of NMAHPs 
• we provide digital portfolios for continuing professional development on TURAS Learn