NURSES at the county’s hospitals are in the running for prestigious accolades after being named finalists in a national awards ceremony.

The judging panel for the Nursing Times Awards 2020 have published their shortlist with nursing teams from Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust in the running for three different awards.

Worcestershire’s Community Neonatal Service was chosen as a finalist in the Nursing in the Community category, after being recognised for implementing a new seven-day neonatal community outreach service in the county.

Specialist nurses from Worcestershire were shortlisted for an award for their work alongside Bangor University in the Infection Prevention and Control category. The team worked together with university lecturers to develop an online learning course for other nurses and healthcare practitioners on Infection Prevention and Control techniques.

And the Frailty Team based at Alexandra Hospital, Redditch, were chosen in the Care of Older People category after setting up a specialist Frailty Assessment Unit and inpatient wards designed specifically for people living with frailty.

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The service provides comprehensive geriatric assessment for thousands of patients over-65, which prevents hundreds of these patients from being unnecessarily admitted to hospital each year.

Chief Nurse for Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust, Vicky Morris said: “I’m delighted that three of our nursing teams have been recognised for their outstanding work over the last year.

"Receiving this acknowledgement of the innovation and excellence of our teams gives our nurses a real boost after what has been an extremely challenging year for all our nurses.”

Editor of the Nursing Times, Steve Ford said: "The challenge of tackling Covid-19, coming as it has during the International Year of the Nurse and Midwife, has showcased the great work and innovation of nurses in every setting across the UK.

"The Nursing Times Awards provides us with a fantastic opportunity to celebrate the profession’s exceptional achievements in a very difficult year, and I look forward to announcing the winners."

The 2020 Nursing Times Awards will be the 30th year of the awards that are recognised as one of the most prestigious awards in the nursing sector. The winners from each category are due to be announced on Wednesday, October 14.