Hunt on for nurses who are excelling

Patients and carers are being urged to nominate those who go ‘beyond the call of duty’ to deliver excellent care.

The new Public Choice award aims to reward nurses who really are ‘worth their weight in gold’.

Cathy Stone, director of nursing and patient safety at Western Sussex Hospitals NHS Trust, which runs St Richard’s Hospital, said: “Good nursing care is vital for patients and their carers and we should reward those who do a brilliant job in often difficult circumstances.

“A good nurse will have the skills to protect the health of the patient, but also the compassion and commitment to do everything they can to give people the care they need.”

She hoped people could take a moment to ‘give just a little back’ to their nurses.

The Public Choice award is part of the new Proud To Care initiative, being run across Sussex, to showcase excellence in local nursing.

It aims to give public recognition to those who have devoted their working lives to caring for others.

Patients and carers are being given the opportunity to submit a 100-word nomination for their chosen nurse, nursing team, health visitor, midwife or care-giver, explaining why their nominee has gone beyond the call of duty to deliver excellent care.

Anyone who would like to make a nomination can visit www.sussex.nhs.uk/proudtocareawards

Nominations should be no more than 100 words and should be specific about why a chosen nurse or nursing team deserves to be nominated.