Three Gateshead nurses receive special national recognition with Silver Chief Nursing Officer for England awards alongside nursing colleagues who have successfully become Professional Nurse Advocates.
The awards were presented by Victoria Bagshaw, Regional Nursing, Midwifery and AHP Workforce Lead and Rachel Hall, Health Care Support Worker Programme Lead to Gateshead Health staff on Friday 5 May 2023 for their outstanding dedication to nursing and the NHS.
Melanie Stevenson and Michelle Reilly received the first two silver CNO awards for their contribution to healthcare support services.
Melanie and Michelle were recognised for the national health care support project which has been implemented to support staff to achieve their care certificate, improve staff retention through provision of pastoral care.
Certificates of achievement and PNA badges were also presented to a cohort of Professional Nurse Advocates (PNAs) who as registered nurses completed an educational programme to provide restorative supervision. The PNA programme is part of the NHS retention plan which launched in March 2021, towards the end of the third wave of COVID-19 pandemic.
Head of Nursing and PNA lead, Janet Thompson said “Congratulations to everyone who received an award today. I am incredibly proud of the PNA programme and the PNA’s here today as they support colleagues and staff to be the best they can be. Implementing restorative supervision which has benefits to improving health and wellbeing for staff and in return improve care for our patients”.
The final CNO silver award was the lifetime services award given to dementia specialist nurse, Christine Fawcett for her 41 years of service in nursing and her dedicated support for dementia patients by educating staff across the organisation.
Christine said “I am overwhelmed that I was given this award and truly shocked. I am extremely thankful to everyone I have worked with over my 40 years of nursing and couldn’t have done my job without each of them.
”This award came as a complete shock but I am delighted to have been awarded the lifetime services award.”
Congratulations to all staff who received an award.