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Learning Disability Nursing Award now open for entries in the RCNi Nurse Awards 2017

Learning disability nurses are invited to enter the RCNi Nurse Awards 2017 - the UK nursing profession’s highest accolade for excellence.
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Learning disability nurses are invited to enter the RCNi Nurse Awards 2017 - the UK nursing profession’s highest accolade for excellence.


This year’s winners (with Gwen Moulster OBE, centre) developed a health equalities framework (HEF)

The awards showcase the dedication, creativity and passion of nurses in providing high-quality patient care across the health service.

Sponsored by NHS England, the Learning Disability Award is for those who have developed initiatives to support the wellbeing and social inclusion of people with learning disabilities to maintain physical and mental health.

Improve life expectancy

This year’s winners, a nurse consultant team from different trusts and settings, developed a health equalities framework (HEF) to improve healthy life expectancy of those with learning disabilities.

UK Learning Disability consultant nurse network co-chair Gwen Moulster, one of the winning team, urged nurses to enter the 2017 awards.

Ms Moulster, who was made OBE for her services to nursing people with learning disabilities in June, said: ‘Learning disability nurses can be really rubbish at explaining what they do.

‘Everyone believes their work is not good enough or big enough, but it is important to share practice so people know about it.’

Winning helped publicise the project and the team is now working with NHS England, the Welsh government and healthcare commissioners in Scotland and Northern Ireland.

13 categories

Nurses, midwives and health visitors – as well as assistant practitioners, healthcare assistants and nursing students – will all have opportunities to enter awards across 13 categories:

  • Andrew Parker Student Nurse Award.
  • Cancer Nursing Award.
  • Child Health Award.
  • Commitment to Carers Award (sponsored by NHS England).
  • Community Nursing Award (sponsored by Superdrug).
  • Excellence in Cancer Research Award (sponsored by Cancer Research UK).
  • Innovations in your Specialty.
  • Leadership Award.
  • Learning Disability Nursing Award (sponsored by NHS England).
  • Mental Health Practice Award.
  • Nursing Older People Award.
  • Patient’s Choice (sponsored by Yakult).
  • RCN Healthcare Assistant Award (sponsored by the RCN).

Judges of the learning disability category also recognised a service developed by NHS Fife epilepsy nurse John Toland to help people with learning disabilities access support for epilepsy.

‘Go the extra mile’

Learning Disability Practice specialist journal editor Colin Parish, a judge on this year’s shortlisting panel, said: ‘Learning disability nurses always go the extra mile for their service users – it’s in their blood.’

An overall Nurse of the Year award will be chosen by the judges from the winners.

Nurses can either nominate themselves, their team or be nominated by a colleague.

The RCNi Nurse Awards event is on Friday 5 May, 2017 at the Westminster Park Plaza in London.

More information about the categories and how to enter is available at www.nurseawards.co.uk


Further information

Nurse consultants’ collaboration improves practice across UK

Epilepsy service introduced tailor-made specialist care

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