Across health and social care, nursing teams are working collaboratively to deliver innovation, service improvements and high-quality care.

Open to teams who can demonstrate the significance of the nursing contribution to a project’s success as well as its impact on patient care, this award aims to recognise that great nursing is often delivered in teams and in close partnership with multidisciplinary colleagues – or even patients or stakeholders.

Who could be nominated?

Nursing teams or a multidisciplinary team where the nursing role has been instrumental in the success of a project or service delivery.

What was the criteria for consideration?

Each finalist must clearly demonstrate:

• the team’s commitment to person-centred care, innovation and delivering high-quality services that make a difference to the people receiving care
• the positive impact of the team’s work for service users, families and colleagues
• the use of a credible evidence base and/or developing an evidence base to under pin the team’s work for which they are being nominated
• how the team’s work contributes to the delivery of local and national policy and strategy within health and social care.

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

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The nominations process closed on 14 November 2025 and following our judging process, three finalists have been selected:

• 215 (Scottish) Multirole Medical Regiment Nursing Team, Royal Army Medical Service
• Prison Healthcare Team, NHS Forth Valley
• Specialist Rehabilitation Unit, NHS Forth Valley

You can read more below about why our judges feel these finalists represent the #BestOfNursing in Scotland.

The winners will be announced at our glittering awards ceremony at the National Museum of Scotland in Edinburgh on 30 April.

Royal Army Medical Service

The 215 (Scottish) Multirole Medical Regiment Nursing Team delivers outstanding person centred care in some of the most challenging environments worldwide. Made up of highly skilled Army Reservist nurses, they combine NHS expertise with military service to provide safe, effective healthcare wherever it is needed. Their collective professionalism, compassion, and resilience ensure high quality care from UK hospitals to remote overseas locations. In Kenya, the team worked together to support local health services, delivering primary care in austere environments with limited resources. Their adaptability and teamwork under pressure strengthened international partnerships and enhanced local healthcare delivery. During Exercise Paeion Cyclone, the team transformed abandoned buildings into a fully functioning clinical facility through exceptional collaboration and leadership. Working alongside surgeons, medics, engineers, and logisticians, they created emergency, surgical, and ward areas designed around safety and patient flow. Their innovative approach demonstrated what a highly coordinated Reserve Nursing team can achieve, even in the most demanding circumstances. Continuous evaluation, daily reflection, and shared learning improved patient pathways and strengthened multidisciplinary teamwork. Their efforts have shaped future Defence healthcare models and influenced emerging medical doctrine. Through unity, expertise, and compassionate care, the 215 (Sc) MMR Nursing Team continues to redefine what is possible in deployed healthcare. They exemplify the very best of Defence nursing—innovative, adaptable, and always driven by patient needs. Wherever they serve, they prove that exceptional care can be delivered anywhere, even in the most austere conditions.

NHS Forth Valley

The Prison Healthcare Team is nominated for consistently delivering person-centred, safe, and effective care in a complex prison environment, embodying NHS Forth Valley’s values of dignity, respect, and equity. They have implemented safe staffing and continuous improvement practices in line with the Health and Care (Staffing) (Scotland) Act 2019, resulting in zero agency staff spend since October 2024 and a reduction in nurse turnover from 23.5% to 10.4%. The team’s nomination highlighted key actions including reviewing skill mix, introducing senior roles, expanding student nurse placements, enhancing recruitment and career pathways, and strengthening workforce governance. These initiatives have stabilised staffing, improved morale, supported professional development, and enhanced multidisciplinary collaboration. The team’s efforts have had a sustained positive impact on the health and wellbeing of individuals in custody, improving continuity of care, therapeutic relationships, and trust between patients and healthcare staff. Recognised by HM Inspectorate of Prisons for Scotland, the team is celebrated for demonstrating that high-quality care is achievable even in prisons.

NHS Forth Valley

This nurse and AHP-led team, provide high-quality, person-centred rehabilitation for patients of all ages, including those post-major trauma within in ten bed unit. Established over five years ago, they demonstrate exceptional commitment, collaboration, and expertise, embedding a rehabilitation ethos across nursing and allied health practice. The SRU team provides interdisciplinary, evidence-based rehabilitation aimed at maximising recovery, improving functional outcomes, supporting safe community transition, and reducing hospital length of stay. The service delivers timely, goal-oriented care seven days a week, emphasising patient and family involvement, self-management, and continuity across the care pathway. Participating in the UK Rehabilitation Outcomes Collaborative (UK ROC) to measure patient need, care input, and outcomes – the team was recognised for discharging 57 patients and achieving a weekly cost saving of over £100,000 in one year. Patient feedback continues to highlight the compassionate, personalised care and positive impact on recovery. The team is widely known for its innovative use of resources, including a dedicated website and patient information materials, to enhance care planning, engagement and outcomes.

Whilst our 2026 finalists await to find out the results at our award ceremony on 30 April 2026, read about our previous winners of this category and what made them stand out as the #BestOfNursing amongst Scotland's nursing teams.