To mark the Year of the Nurse and Midwife, West London NHS Trust hosted a virtual award ceremony to celebrate and recognise the hard work of nurses across the Trust.
Over 130 staff from across the Trust joined a short but energetic and uplifting event that saw winners and runners-up for seven different categories rewarded for their efforts through the Covid-19 pandemic. A celebratory atmosphere was maintained throughout, despite the challenge of hosting the event via videoconference.
Speaking at the event, Stephanie Bridger, Director of Nursing and Patient Experience, said:
“2020 took an unexpected turn with the emergence of a global pandemic that has shown the value of nurses working at their very best. In the face of absolute adversity, nurses as ever, have stepped up to the plate.”
“From the bottom of my heart I want to thank you all of our nurses for their resilience and professionalism. You should all be extremely proud of your work and today is a small celebration to mark the Trust’s gratitude to you.”
Elaine Smith, winner of the Director of Nursing’s Award, said: “It’s a great honour to win a Year of the Nurse Award. The past year has been tough, but I’ve been incredibly lucky to have such a wonderful team around me so we’re able to tackle the challenges head on. Huge well done to all the other nurses recognised during this fabulous event.”
Below is a list of the award categories, winners and runners-up:
| Award | Winner | Runner up |
| Nurse Leader of the Year | Betty Nabawanuka,Ravenscourt Ward Manager | Rosemary Gifford, Service Manager, Locality Services, Ealing Community Partners |
| Supervisor/Practice Assessor/Mentor of the Year | Inocencia Mashamba, Jubilee Ward Manager | Minenhle Muduma, Staff Nurse, Butler House |
| Nurse Trainee/Student of the Year | Ashley Jenkins, Nursing Degree Apprentice, Derby Ward | Emmanuel Polley, Apprentice Nursing Associate, Jubilee Ward |
| Service User and Carer Engagement in Nursing | Amanda Mackenzie, Senior Nurse, the Cassel | Leila Khan,Family Worker, First Intervention in Psychosis Team in H&F |
| Nursing Moment of the Year | Aurora Ward Nursing Team | The Cassel Pyscho-social Nurses |
| Inspirational Nurse of the Year | Nancy Dholoo, Dementia Liaison Nurse Specialist | Jadwiga Sobiechowska,Clinical Nurse Specialist/Manager |
| Director of Nursing’s Award | Elaine Smith, Nurse Consultant Infection Control |
N.B – Year of the Nurse and Midwife is a World Health Organization (WHO) initiative, to mark the 200th anniversary of Florence Nightingale’s birth.
