Mental Health Nursing Award

Mental health nurses are key to promoting and supporting recovery, helping patients and clients to live independent and fulfilling lives. They build effective relationships with service users and their relatives and carers.

Open to registered nurses working in mental health services. This award aims to recognise those who have succeeded in raising standards of care for their patients and clients and have made an outstanding contribution to the care of service users.

A registered mental health nurse working in a clinical role or managing clinical services within mental health services across Scotland. 

(in no particular order)

     

Nurse Team Leader, Primary Care Alcohol Nurse Outreach Service (PCANOS), Glasgow Alcohol & Drug Recovery Service, NHS Greater Glasgow & Clyde

Described by colleagues as a shining example of mental health nursing, Linda led the Glasgow based Primary Care Alcohol Nurse Outreach Service before recently retiring after 40 years of service. With determination, tenacity and a unique way of engaging with patients and staff, Linda ensured that the team addressed the gap in patients being able to access specialist services. Her team provides a triage service for people referred by GPs and ensured they were enabled to access the most appropriate services. Linda designed and role modelled an assertive outreach approach to person centred care in patient’s homes. Her nomination highlighted the challenges met head on during the pandemic with reduced access to patient homes and clinical areas. Linda is proud that the results speak for themselves, with a 79% reduction in GP contact and a 32% reduction in admission to hospitals. She is clear that nursing has more to offer patients than traditional roles and that nursing staff can contribute greatly to the reduction in health inequalities of an often stigmatised groups. Even after retirement, Linda continues to influence the future of nursing by continuing to train and develop staff.

Dementia ANP, Psychiatry of the Older Adult, St Johns Hospital, NHS Lothian

Described by colleagues as a committed advance nurse practitioner (ANP), Melissa developed the role of the ANP in dementia care to enhance patient care and reduce referral to diagnosis. She developed a service which sought to prevent admission and reduce readmission to hospital for people with dementia in care homes. By developing nurse led clinics, Melissa supports West Lothian’s contribution to national HEAT targets by reducing waiting times for diagnosis. She adopts a flexible approach to ensure that the service works across older people’s health services as well as supporting other agencies. Adopting a home first model of care, Melissa strives to deliver as much care at home – providing a complex supported discharge service. Within a year, the waiting times in her area had halved, allowing the post diagnostic support teams to engage faster with patients. Melissa’s approach is already being shared across Scotland and she is now supporting ANPs in other areas to implement her initiative. Melissa is keen to demonstrate to senior management what nursing staff can do when given scope to be innovative in their care delivery.

Link Nurse Therapist, Tier 4 Complex Trauma Pathway, Specialist Children's Services, West Glasgow Ambulatory Hospital, NHS Greater Glasgow & Clyde

Described by her colleagues as dynamic and flexible, Natalie works as a nurse therapist in West Ambulatory Care Hospital’s Tier 4 Complex Trauma Pathway in Child and Adolescent mental health services. With many of her patients presenting out of hours, Natalie extols the need for detailed and person centre anticipatory care plans. She shares this passion with out of hours colleagues to ensure that the service works for patients who often struggle with the relational aspect of engagement having suffered complex trauma. Natalie develops a promise with patients that they are treated consistently no matter who is delivering the care or what time the care is needed. Patients describe Natalie as going above and beyond for them and colleagues note the effort she puts in to establishing positive therapeutic relationships with the young people she cares, for as well as supporting their families. Natalie leads on training other health care staff on ensuring their work is trauma informed. Natalie’s goal is to promote nursing and highlight the importance of the service that mental health nursing provides.

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

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NHS Forth Valley is one of 14 regional health boards and serves a population of more than 306,000 in a diverse geographical area which covers the heart of Scotland.

Our modern acute hospital – Forth Valley Royal Hospital in Larbert – is one of the most advanced and well equipped in Europe, and is supported by a network of four community hospitals, 56 health centres, day centres providing care and support for patients with mental illness and learning disabilities and a wide range of community based services.

NHS Forth Valley are delighted to be sponsoring the Mental Health Nursing Award at the RCN Scotland Nurse of the Year Awards 2022.

This award aims to recognise those who have succeeded in raising standards of care for their patients and clients and have made an outstanding contribution to the care of service users across Scotland’s health and social care service deliver day in day out.