Crowning glory – local hospitals celebrate the best in nursing and midwifery
A special award ceremony at Epsom and St Helier hospitals recently saw three members of exceptional staff pick up prestigious titles – as the hospitals named their nurse, midwife and qualified healthcare assistant of the year.
As part of the celebrations of International Nurses’ Day, which takes place every year to coincide with Florence Nightingale’s birthday, staff were thanked for their continuing hard work and dedication, and heard from special guest speakers. The day was organised in conjunction with the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) and gave nurses, midwives and support staff the chance to take some time out of their busy schedule to sample international food and cake, enjoy a complimentary therapy (such as an Indian head massage) and to reflect on the successes and challenges of the year gone by.
During the celebrations, Charlotte Hall, Chief Nurse, said: “Being a nurse is a very special job that takes a unique and particular set of skills, and I see those incredible skills in our staff every day. I am very proud to be a nurse and midwife, and it is a privilege to work with such caring, motivated staff. I am always humbled to hear how staff go above and beyond the call of duty for our patients.
“International Nurses’ Day is always one of my favourite days of the year: it is a very special day, where we can celebrate and say thank you to all our wonderful nurses, midwives and care assistants.”
Huge congratulations go to:
- Winner of Nurse of the Year 2016, Noleen Arrowsmith, Discharge Coordinator.
- Midwife of the Year 2016, Alison Hide, Antenatal Ward Manager.
- Qualified Healthcare Assistant of the Year, Stanley Devassy.
Nurse of the Year, Noleen Arrowsmith, was nominated a whopping 26 times. She said: “I am absolutely delighted to win this award. It’s almost 40 years to the day that I began my nurses training at St Helier (which was then home to the Carshalton School of Nursing), and I am still very proud to work here. I’d like to thank everyone who nominated me and supports me in my work.”
The celebrations also provided the opportunity to celebrate 100 years of the RCN with a slot from special guest speaker, Professor Dame Donna Kinnair, Director of Nursing, Policy and Practice at the RCN, who spoke about the importance of International Nurses’ Day and her experiences in nursing.
Mike Smith, an Emergency Nurse Practitioner at Epsom Hospital and the trust’s RCN representative who helped organise the event, said: “International Nurses’ Day celebrates the tremendous impact nursing has on people’s health and wellbeing. This year’s event was particularly special, as we heard how our staff go above and beyond the call of duty to ensure their patients receive the best care possible. We also had the chance to hear from a nurse who has worked in our trust for fifty years, Chris Bowyer – now that’s commitment!”
