Highland nurses in RCN Scotland Nurse of the Year finals
Register for free to read more of the latest local news. It's easy and will only take a moment.
Three people from the Highlands have been named as finalists in an awards scheme to recognise Scotland's top nurses.
The finalists in 12 categories of the first RCN Scotland Nurse of the Year Awards were announced on International Nurses Day which is marked on May 12 – the anniversary of the birth of nursing pioneer Florence Nightingale.
The awards aim to shine a spotlight on the best of nursing – to recognise, highlight and celebrate the dedication and outstanding professional care of nursing staff across Scotland.
Amy Noble, clinical nurse manager at Raigmore Hospital in Inverness, has been shortlisted for the Adult Nursing Award while Kamila Rzepka, a staff nurse at Culduthel Care Home in Inverness has been shortlisted for the Care Home Nursing Award.
Samuel Thomas, of the University of Highlands and Islands, is in the running for Nursing Student of the Year Award.
The 12 categories cover the nursing specialities as well as recognising the vital role of nursing support workers, wider nursing teams and student nurses and the innovation, leadership and support for learning that they display.
Nominations were encouraged from nursing staff across health and social care from those working in the NHS, to GP practices, care homes and the third sector.
The winners will be announced at the ceremony on June 21 at the National Museum of Scotland in Edinburgh.
Highland finalists:
Adult Nursing Award – Amy Noble, clinical nurse manager, Raigmore Hospital:
Described by her colleagues as energetic, inspirational and "one of the best nurses I’ve ever worked with", at the time of nominations, Amy led the respiratory ward at Raigmore Hospital before recently becoming assistant divisional nurse manager.
She is noted to have been instrumental in the development of the future nursing workforce in NHS Highland and prides herself on leading by example, setting evidence-based standards to ensure care is driven by what matters to the patient and their families.
She led the way in developing a partnership with Chest, Heart and Stroke Scotland which meant that readmissions dropped from 20 per cent to eight per cent benefitting patients and the ward. She meets the challenge of caring across a wide geography head-on, liaising directly with GPs to ensure equality of access.
In her new role, the newest challenge was developing an infectious disease specialist team, appointing and nurturing staff to do what is best for patients. With attracting people to the profession difficult in the current climate, she is determined to inspire new students and to encourage people to return to nursing.
Care Home Nursing Award – Kamila Rzepka, staff nurse at Culduthel Care Home, Meallmore Ltd:
Described by her colleagues as a dedicated and compassionate care home nurse, she always strives to ensure the best outcomes for her patients.
Her passion for providing long term-care for residents at the Culduthel Care Home has allowed her to know all the care history and current needs of residents and to develop meaningful working relationships with local GP services.
Her holistic approach to nursing means she has managed to improve the health outcomes by putting her heart and soul into the care she provides.
She has led the way in supporting and training colleagues in the home to improve health and care delivery, with colleagues noting how much improved their confidence is with her support – encouraging some to progress into a nursing career themselves.
With the crisis in staff recruitment, she has introduced an information sheet designed for agency workers coming into the home which bullet points resident needs and helps to establish continuity of care.
Her passion for raising the profile of care home nursing is evidenced in her establishing open days, social media events and the creation of videos to inspire others into a career and area of nursing she is extremely passionate about.
Nursing Student of the Year Award – Samuel Thomas, University of Highlands and Islands:
Described by his lecturer as exceptional, Samuel excels in theory as well critical thinking and research and is expected to pass his nursing degree with distinction.
He was accepted onto the Research Masters and secured funding for his project to explore community nurses’ lived experiences and perceptions of preparedness to provide palliative and end of life care in rural Scotland.
His passion for equality and diversity in nursing is evident in his voluntary research into male attitudes towards nursing as a profession.
His academic skills are already having an impact in clinical settings including his work to create a signposting directory which received funding to be able to print 800 copies for use across the hospital.
With hopes for a long and prosperous nursing career, he is already gaining visibility nationally, having had commentary pieces published in the British Medical Journal about the use of virtual reality in nurse education.
