East and North Hertfordshire Teaching NHS Trust – which manages Lister Hospital in Stevenage, the New QEII Hospital in Welwyn Garden City, Hertford County Hospital in Hertford and Mount Vernon Cancer Centre in Northwood – is celebrating after taking home a national award at this year’s prestigious Nursing Times Awards.
Held in London on Wednesday 22 October, the event celebrated excellence, innovation and leadership across the nursing profession, recognising individuals and teams who are shaping the future of healthcare.
The trust was shortlisted in four award categories – an outstanding achievement in itself – and went on to win the Sustainability in Nursing and Midwifery award for its innovation Greener Emergency Response System.
Life-changing work – led by safeguarding children’s nurse Hannah Jennings and her colleagues – which developed a toolkit to aid health and social care staff in acute hospitals to identify childhood exploitation was also commended with a nomination for the Children’s Services Award.
The winning initiative was recognised for its nurse-led innovation in reducing waste and improving patient safety. Judges praised the team’s “smart approach to resource management”, which includes improving the organisations resuscitation equipment and measures to reduce waste, save time and cut costs.
In their comments, the judging panel highlighted the project’s “measurable impact in reducing waste, saving nursing time and influencing NHS green policy,” adding:
“This work truly proves that environmental sustainability is not optional, it is leadership in action.”
Nursing Times Awards judges
Theresa Murphy, Chief Nurse at East and North Hertfordshire Teaching NHS Trust said:
“We are incredibly proud of all of our teams representing the trust at this year’s awards ceremony.
“Each of our finalists have demonstrated creativity, compassion and innovation in their work – from supporting older people and children to leading sustainability in emergency care.
“Winning the Sustainability in Nursing and Midwifery award is a wonderful achievement and a reflection of the important work happening across our trust every day.”
