Seven Northern Trust members shortlisted for RCN Nurse of the Year Awards

By Chloe St John

Seven members of the Northern Trust have been shortlisted for the RCN Nurse of the Year Awards.

Categories include care areas such as dementia care and learning disabilities, as well as a dedicated award ‘the patients choice award’ for patients to nominate based on their own care experiences, plus an overall ‘nurse of the year’ award.

The awards are hosted by the Royal College of Nursing in Northern Ireland and have been running for 22 years now.

Winners will be announced at a ceremony at the Culloden Hotel in Holywood on the 7th of June.

In a statement the Trust said:

Examples of our nursing successes include Sister Jackie Williams who works on the care of the elderly / stroke ward at the Antrim Area Hospital. Jackie has been shortlisted for the Dementia Nurse award, for working tirelessly to understand how to best manage patients living with dementia – particularly when complicated by a delirium. She has also led a patient centered end of life care project. 

Mary Kane of Causeway Hospital has been shortlisted for the Patients Choice award for her contribution in caring for patients living with conditions such as Crohn’s and Colitis. A patient under her care said ‘Mary is not only my nurse, she’s my hero’. This patient, who was taking her school examinations at the time of undergoing treatment, felt she benefited from support from Mary which far exceeded the expectations of her role.

For his work with older people in the community, Craig Chambers, from the Falls Service Team has been shortlisted for the Health Care Support Worker award. Craig has been going the extra mile to help his patients, and is currently undertaking his nursing training through the Open University.

In addition to the above, Nurse Practitioner Jackie Kearns has also been shortlisted for the Nurse of the Year award. Jillian Scott who leads in offering specialist diabetes advice to clients with a learning disability has been shortlisted for the Learning Disability award. Kathy Goumas, Head of Addictions and Quality Assurance, for the Addiction Services award after many years of service. And finally, Bernie Carlin who works as a Family Nurse in the Family Nurse Partnership team in the category of Public Health.

Mrs Eileen McEneaney, Executive Director of Nursing and User Experience said “These awards allow us to share the professional and compassionate care our nursing teams bring to Northern Trust clients. We celebrate the contribution that our nurses and nursing assistants make to our patients’ and community on a daily basis. I’m delighted we have this opportunity to celebrate our successes locally and regionally.”