[The Maternity Senior Team, which won the Chief Nursing Officer Outstanding Team Award.]
Nurses and midwives at the Royal United Hospital have been
recognised for their fantastic work and outstanding contribution to the people cared for.
The RUH’s Nursing and Midwifery Awards 2024 gave staff the perfect opportunity to celebrate
those colleagues who go the extra mile every day.
The ceremony coincided with the anniversary of the birth of Mary Seacole, who was a British
Jamaican nurse in the 1800s and paved the way for diversity in nursing in the UK.
There were 13 awards in total, recognising all of the hospital’s nursing and midwifery groups.
This year’s awards went to:
• Healthcare Support Worker of the Year -Michelle Bigden, Helena ward
• Maternity Support Worker of the Year -Kate Francis, Specialist Infant Feeding
• Staff Nurse of the Year -Caroline Reading, Children’s Emergency Department
• Midwife of the Year -Sarah Allouat, Antenatal Clinic
• Sister/Charge Nurse/Senior Sister of the Year -Mel Burcombe, William Budd ward
• Senior Nurse Leader of the Year -Ana Simoes, Older Persons Unit Short Stay
• Specialist Nurse of the Year -Bryony Skipworth, Staff Nurse, Neonatal Intensive Care
Unit (NICU)
• Specialist Midwife of the Year -Karen Doran, Midwife
• Advanced Clinical Practitioner of the Year -Mel De Jaeger, Urogynaecology
• Research Nurse of the Year – Ros Knight, Paediatric Research
• Outstanding Achievement of the Year – Rachel Burridge, Junior Sister, Older Persons
Unit Short Stay
• Chief Nursing Officer Outstanding Team Award -Maternity Senior Team.
The afternoon’s top award was the Chief Nursing Officer Award, which went to Zita Martinez,
Director of Midwifery.
Zita received her award in recognition of her ‘exceptional and inspirational leadership across
Maternity Services’.
Chief Nursing Officer Toni Lynch said: “Our wonderful nursing and midwifery staff work so hard
for the people we care for each and every day.
“These awards are the perfect way to highlight just some of those staff for their incredible
achievements and outstanding contributions to the RUH.
“Congratulations to all those award winners and nominees and a huge thank you to all of our
nursing and midwifery staff for your consistent hard work and commitment – we couldn’t do it
without you.”
