MDHB Nursing Excellence Celebrated in 2011 Awards
12/05/2011
| Nursing Awards
Nurses within MidCentral District Health Board celebrated excellence and innovation in nursing practice at the district’s Nursing Awards Ceremony held today (12 May 2011), as part of International Nurses Day. The theme for nurses around the world this year is improving access to and equity in health care.
The awards occur biennially and this year a rare pre-eminent prize was awarded to Helen Snell Nurse Practitioner, PhD Candidate, for her significant impact on the New Zealand health system. Alongside Dr Paul Dixon, Helen is the nurse leader of the Diabetes Service, which is regarded as a centre of excellence nationally. Helen is Chair of the Nurse Practitioner Advisory Committee of New Zealand, and a nurse representative on the New Zealand Society for the Study of Diabetes. Helen is leading, and has been instrumental in developing and implementing the RN diabetes nurse prescribing pilot project for Health Workforce New Zealand. This is a significant project that will eventually improve access to care for people with diabetes throughout New Zealand. Helen is also the only nurse leading one of the 14 Health Workforce New Zealand service reviews.
Helen’s work for diabetes patients has led to the development of the knowledge and skills framework for diabetes that has been adopted nationally for all New Zealand nursing. This framework has now changed how nursing standards are viewed in New Zealand, with the structure of her framework forming the basis of knowledge and skills frameworks of the nine national nursing groups in New Zealand.
Helen has also been instrumental in promoting and developing Nurse Practitioner training programme specifications for the country. This concept has the support of the nursing profession and will inform the Nursing Council review of post graduate education that is to occur later this year.
Other senior nurses acknowledged as making a significant contribution to the New Zealand health system were:
- Judy Leader, outgoing President of the New Zealand Pain Society.
- Marina Lambert for the development of the respiratory knowledge and skills framework for nurses in New Zealand.
- Maria Stapleton for the development of the Cancer Society guide ‘Bowel Cancer and bowel function: practical advice.’
- Denise White for her contribution to the research completed for the Ministry of Health on District Nursing services in New Zealand, and the publication of the national District Nursing standards, along with Christine Cumming.
- Debbie Davies for her work in driving the formation of the NZNO College of Primary Health Care Nurses.
- The team from Arohanui Hospice team for their work in implementing the Liverpool Care of the Dying Pathway in New Zealand.
- Lois Nickolajenko along with Gillian Treloar, for their development work in chronic kidney disease which is being taken up nationally.
- Victoria Perry for the number of Nurse Practitioners she had successfully mentored to registration.
Palmerston North Hospital Ward 29 nurse, Sarah Puts, won the Tracey McFarlane Clinical Excellence Award which is in honour of Nurse Tracey McFarlane who died in November 2006 was awarded to Sarah for being a “true shining star in the ward, from patient care delivery, to team enthusiasm and participation.”
The award citation highlights Sarah’s work in the surgical ward: “Sarah completed her graduate year in 2010 and since then has consolidated her skills and knowledge in the very fast paced and challenging environment of Ward 29. Her passion for both nursing and people is core to her ability to achieve clinical excellence.”
MCH Director of Nursing, Sue Wood & Director of Primary Health Care Nursing Chiquita Hansen said: “Nurses at MidCentral are leading the way nationally and locally. Many go unrecognised by the broader system but we know their patients know they make a difference everyday. The nominations received are examples of the fantastic difference that nurses are making in our health community. The nursing awards ceremony is a time to appreciate and celebrate the excellence we nurses aspire to, and the difference we make in people lives.”
The winners selected by peers were:
Primary Health Care Awards
Research – Bev Quinn
Leadership – Lia Sinclair
Clinical Excellence Expert – Lynette Laws
Clinical Expert General – Michelle MacKenzie
Clinical Excellence New Graduate (less than two years) – Aimee Drummond
Clinical Excellence Enrolled Nurse/Support Worker – Lea Fouhy
Innovation – Jane Dennis
Acute and Speciality Awards
Research – Anne Cleland
Leadership – Leanne Bell
Clinical Excellence: Level 4 – Barbara Smith; Level 3 – Mark Buckley; Level 2 – Eva Bunyan
Nursing Memorial Award Level 3 – Averil Sheehan
Tracey McFarlane Clinical Excellence Level 2 Award – Sarah Puts
Clinical Excellence Enrolled Nurse – Pam Hibbard
Excellence HCA – Jocelyn Cole
Innovation – Janine Kereama
Contact: Communications Unit (06) 350-8945