UHNM shortlisted for two Nursing Times Awards

University Hospitals of North Midlands NHS Trust (UHNM) is proud to announce it has been shortlisted for two Nursing Times Awards. 

Sarah Jamieson, Director of Midwifery at UHNM has been shortlisted for ‘Midwife of the Year’, in recognition of her leadership and service improvement, whilst a team of Diversional Therapists offering bespoke activities aimed at maintaining the mobility of patients on the Royal Stoke University Hospital’s older adult wards have been shortlisted in the ‘Care of Older People’ category. 

Ann Marie Riley, Chief Nurse at UHNM said: “Through her outstanding leadership, Sarah has transformed maternity services at UHNM, utilising improvement methodology to enhance performance indicators and implementing workstreams to boost morale and culture within the maternity team.  

“She leads with care and compassion, creating a thriving environment for her staff which is reflected in our fantastic recruitment and retention rates. Sarah has created an environment where staff feel able to safely challenge and are supported to drive improvements that they believe will improve patient outcomes and experience.” 

Speaking about her nomination, Lee-ann Boardman, Matron for Older Adults at UHNM said: “The ambition of this project was to create a team of diversional therapists that would work alongside our nursing teams on the older adults inpatient wards to assist with planning and promoting patient activities, to engage patients and encourage patients to maintain mobility. The overall impact of this new service was to improve patient experience and motivate patients to want to sit up, get dressed and to keep moving.

"The diversional therapist role has been pivotal in providing an environment for our patients whereby activities are at hand to promote patient independence, enhance their mobility and to encourage and assist their recovery.  Activities are tailored on patient requirements and play an active role in reconditioning our patients and advocates UHNM’s 'Sit Up, Get Dressed, Keep Moving' campaign with the overall aim to improve patient experience, maintain patient ability, promote independence, and support a reduction in inpatient falls within older adults.

“In the first three months of the project, patient falls across the older adult wards reduced by 64 per-cent, and there has been a dramatic fall in the number of reports of violent and aggressive patients. I’m so proud of our team of seven diversional therapists, who have exceeded our expectations and things can only grow and get better. I feel they were the missing piece of our jigsaw, putting patients at the heart of everything, making sure they are supported, mobile and of course happy.”

The winners will be announced during an awards ceremony in London on Wednesday 23 October.