Celebrating a new category at the Nursing Times awards
3rd November 2021
On 29 October, our Deputy Matron Gail St Juste-Alcide attended the prestigious Nursing Times awards at the Grosvenor Hotel, as a judge for the new Social Care in Nursing award. This category recognises the enormous contribution of nurses in care homes like our very own Infirmary.
“It’s a really good feeling for social care nursing to be recognised”
Gail was elected as a judge for the social care category as she is part of an advisory group on social care run by Chief Nurse for Adult Social Care for the Department of Health and Social Care Deborah Sturdy - formerly the Royal Hospital’s Director of Health and Wellbeing. She says that Deborah fought hard for social care nursing to be recognised:
“During the pandemic, those living and working in the social care sector were hit hard and left behind. People think nursing homes are just the end of the road, but lots of good things happen in them. Social care nursing is as important as NHS nursing - we take on just as much. I’m honoured to be a social care nurse and it’s a really good feeling to be recognised by this award.”
An unforgettable occasion
The event, hosted by BBC presenter Naga Munchetti, featured 24 awards, ranging from Nursing in Mental Health to Children’s Services. Specialists from each category handed out the awards, with Deborah Sturdy presenting the Social Care in Nursing award to Achieve Together for their nurse-led support for people with profound and multiple learning disabilities.
Gail says the technology category stood out for her. This year’s winner was Bradford Teaching Hospitals, who pioneered using QR codes on plaster casts empowering patients.
She says it was an honour to attend the awards as a social care nurse and hopes to see the Royal Hospital putting itself forward for the new category next year.
