TEESDALE’S district nursing team has been shortlisted for a national award but will have to wait another seven months to find out if they have won after the final was postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic.
The Dales Three District Nursing Team, which is based at the Richardson Hospital, in Barnard Castle, was shortlisted for the category of best student nursing community placement award in the competition run by the Student Nursing Times.
Rachel Doubleday, senior lecturer at Teesside University, said: “As part of their nomination they had to make a
pitch.
“They produced a wonderfully uplifting video which really reflects the rural area that they cover.
“The video was all shot before the lockdown and it is a tremendous achievement for them to reach the final with only eight other teams from the whole of the UK.”
The three-minute video features all members of the district nursing team, as well as students who were on placement.
Sandra Smyth, team leader, said: “It was a fun video and lifted the team’s morale before this [coronavirus] hit and it did bring us together. The staff gave up their free time and we filmed it all in one day.
“We take students from all backgrounds from pre-registration, paramedic students, medical students, nursing associates as well as post grad-students and also support newly qualified nurses starting out in their career.
“We bring students on and they are immersed in all that we do because it is a learning opportunity and my nurses are mentoring because they want to. If we invest in the beginning it becomes a nursing service that is fit for purpose.
“We are still going out every day to see patients in their own homes.”
The awards ceremony was due to be held on Friday, April 24, at the Grosvenor Hotel in London. The team will now have to wait until November 17.
