RCNi Nurse Awards 2019 – now open for entries
The search for the best of the best in nursing has begun with the launch of the RCNi Nurse Awards 2019, the profession's top accolade.
Nurses, students and healthcare assistants are invited to share their innovations and expertise while celebrating their contribution to making patient care better and improving outcomes.
Entries are open to individuals and teams in 18 categories covering the diversity of nursing.
The Patient’s Choice category, which gives patients an opportunity to nominate a nurse or healthcare assistant who has made a difference to their lives, will be decided by a public vote.
The RCN Nurse of the Year 2019 will be announced at the awards ceremony in London on July 3, chosen from the category winners.
The current holder of the title is arrhythmia nurse specialist Angela Hall, who impressed the judges by leading the introduction of a new drug to treat rapid onset atrial fibrillation at Jersey General Hospital.
‘Being named RCN Nurse of the Year 2018 has been massively rewarding in so many ways,' she says. ‘It has raised my profile and resulted in further achievements in my specialist field.’
The judging panel will be chaired by Yvonne Coghill, NHS England’s director of workforce race equality standard. The RCN Fellow was made CBE this year for her services to racial equality in the NHS.
Ms Coghill says: ‘Overseeing these prestigious awards is a privilege and honour and I very much look forward to reading the many wonderful nominations I know we will receive showcasing the hardworking and innovated nurses we have in the UK.’
RCNi managing director Rachel Armitage says: ‘We know nurses in all areas are increasingly under pressure but they still deliver exceptional innovation and outstanding, compassionate patient care day in, day out.
‘The RCNi Nurse Awards are a chance to recognise those achievements and we are looking forward to celebrating the strength and diversity of the profession.’