It was a proud day for registered nursing associate Emily Burton when she was presented with a silver award from Chief Nurse for Adult Social Care, Deborah Sturdy in the inaugural Chief Nurse Adult Social Care Awards on Monday 12 July.
The first ever Chief Nurse Adult Social Care Awards celebrate the incredible efforts of social care nurses and care workers in England throughout the pandemic and beyond, and are being awarded on a rolling basis through the year to workers in the sector.
Emily was the second recipient to be presented with an award so far this year, and is the first ever registered nursing associate to receive a Chief Nursing Officer (CNO) award.
Emily was nominated by her employers at Stewton House in Louth who supported her through the registered nursing associate training as one of the first graduates in the role in 2019.
She received the award as recognition of her hard work and her place as a positive role model, mentor, and inspiration to her team.
Emily has progressed from the role of care assistant, which she started in 2010 with no relevant experience, through to a registered nursing associate, and now deputy manager of a 48-bed nursing home.
As a nursing associate she works with the care team, leading by example and encouraging them to increase their skills and learn new processes. Her positive example has led to one other care assistant from the home qualifying as a registered nursing associate last year and two others enrolling this year.
Emily has also volunteered her time to support the Lincolnshire Care Association and the workforce development team in Lincolnshire to promote the nursing associate course.
Wendy Leighton, who is currently Project Manager for the Regulated Professional Workforce at Skills for Care, previously worked as Programme Lead at the University of Lincoln and supported Emily through her training. Wendy is delighted that Emily’s work has been celebrated with this award win saying:
“I am thrilled to see Emily receive a Chief Nurse Adult Social Care Award. Emily has been dedicated to her role ever since starting her training in 2017 and is continually striving to progress her skills and development.
“She is an inspiration to her team and to the entire social care sector.”
The award to Emily for her work as a registered nursing associate comes on the same day as Skills for Care release their ‘An employer’s guide to the deployment of qualified registered nursing associates in social care settings’ which will support social care employers in deploying the new role of nursing associate within their organisation
The Chief Nurse Adult Social Care Awards recognise the outstanding care, leadership, and inspiration shown by social care nurses to colleagues, patients, and residents throughout the country.
The awards mirror the established CNO awards for NHS nursing, and represent an important step towards parity with the NHS workforce recognising the extraordinary commitment of the adult social care workforce, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic.
As a first of its kind, the awards intend to celebrate and promote the rewarding profession of social care nursing as well as the exceptional individuals within it, and each award winner will be encouraged to become a social care ambassador to raise the profile of the social care nursing profession.
The winners of each award will be selected by a board of CNO and ASC representatives led by Chief Nurse for Adult Social Care Deborah Sturdy.
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