National nursing award winners
A child health nurse, an intensive care nurse graduate and a nursing team whose program for non-clinical staff has improved dementia care, have claimed top honours at the 2013 HESTA Australian Nursing Awards.
A child health nurse, an intensive care nurse graduate and a nursing team whose program for non-clinical staff has improved dementia care, have claimed top honours at the 2013 HESTA Australian Nursing Awards.
The winners were recognised for making an exceptional contribution to improving patient care, service provision and advocacy in the categories of Nurse of the Year, Outstanding Graduate and Team Innovation.
HESTA chief executive, Anne-Marie Corboy, said the judges were looking for nursing professionals who demonstrated exceptional holistic patient care, delivered a positive outcome in service provision and advocated strongly on behalf of patients or the profession.
“Our winners were handpicked from hundreds of nominations for their exceptional nursing skills and dedication and commitment to improving patient care,” Ms Corboy said.
“Nurses do an amazing job caring for people at a vulnerable time in their lives and we are proud to give these professionals the acknowledgement they deserve.”
The 2013 winners are:
Nurse of the Year Award: Sara Lohmeyer, of High Wycombe Child Health Care in Western Australia, for her outstanding work as a child health nurse caring for newborn babies and networking new mothers into the community.
Outstanding Graduate Award: Annabel Pike, of Mater Private Hospital in Brisbane, Queensland, for her holistic approach to patient care, exceptional technical and clinical skills, and for showing leadership in her role as an intensive care nurse.
Team Innovation Award: Understanding Dementia, of Western Health in Victoria, for its work in training non-clinical hospital staff and volunteers about dementia and how to communicate with patients with dementia.
The winners shared a $30,000 prize pool, courtesy of long term HESTA awards sponsor, ME Bank.
The Nurse of the Year and Outstanding Graduate Award winners each received a $5,000 ME Bank EveryDay Transaction Account and a $5,000 education grant. The Team Innovation Award winner received a $10,000 development grant to enhance or extend their program.
HESTA is the leading super fund for health and community services, with more than 750,000 members and $22 billion in assets. More people in health and community services choose HESTA for their super.
To read more about the winners or learn more about the awards, visit www.hestaawards.com.au. For more information about Understanding Dementia, of Western Health in Victoria, service, read DPS News tomorrow.
