Nursing professionalism and leadership at North Mid finalists for three Nursing Times Awards 2021 nominations
Nursing care for children living with sickle cell disorder and nursing leadership in care for premature babies has received national recognition by being shortlisted for three Nursing Times Awards.
The three categories North Middlesex University Hospital NHS Trust has been shortlisted for are:
- Children’s Service of the Year – Paediatric sickle cell nursing
- Managing Long-Term Conditions – Paediatric specialist automated red cell exchange
- Nurse Leader of the Year – Sylvia Gomes, matron from neonatal care.
The red cell exchange service for children provides young people with blood transfusions using a specialist machine that swaps blood cells with donor red blood cells that do not contain sickle haemoglobin. The service was developed and introduced at North Mid in 2020. It now means that children with sickle cell disorder spend less time at hospital by reducing the frequency of visits as well as the amount of time in our care for each visit, from eight hours to approximately two hours. Enfield and Haringey have a high proportion of people living with sickle cell disorder and the introduction of this service now means that the Trust provides these types of blood transfusions for people throughout their life, as the children’s service complements the one North Mid already provides for adults.
Sylvia Gomes has led the neonatal service since 2020 and championed working in partnership with families when delivering care for premature babies. She has also driven improvements in patient safety and experience, as well as making progress in staff experience while working at the hospital.
Shereen Nimmo, Director of Nursing for Maternity and Children’s Services at North Middlesex University Hospital NHS Trust, said: “To be shortlisted for a prestigious Nursing Times Award is a sign of how much progress we have made in the last year – to be shortlisted for three is just fantastic.
“We’re incredibly proud of our children’s services and this national recognition will be a huge boost as we continue to make our services even better for our local community.”
The full shortlist for the Nursing Times Awards 2021 can be found on the Nursing Times website.