Lakes DHB announce nursing and midwifery awards

The award recipients.

The winners of this year's Nursing and Midwifery Awards in the Lakes District Health Board area were announced yesterday at Rotorua Hospital.

Director of Nursing and Midwifery Gary Lees said there were some diverse and high quality nominations for this year's awards and it was really exciting to see the stories of nurses and midwives doing wonderful work in community, primary and hospital settings.

"The awards are a great means of recognising the work of all nurses and midwives across the Lakes district," he said.

"It's always a highlight to come together in May to appreciate our colleagues and remind ourselves of why it was that we entered the profession in the first place."

The awards:

The Registered Nurse of the Year Award for Lakes DHB is Colo-Rectal Clinical Nurse Specialist, Ann-Maree Murphy.

Ann-Maree role models excellence in nursing, while using every opportunity to teach and inform both patients, students and colleagues.
She has made a significant contribution towards establishing and developing the colorectal clinical nurse specialist role which is a first for Lakes DHB.
A very experienced and senior nurse, Ann-Maree has developed systems, processes and relationships to ensure that patient care is best practice, while at the same time putting the patient ahead of paperwork requirements. Ann-Maree is a team player and highly regarded by all team members and patients.
Consultant General Surgeon David Vernon, in nominating Ann-Maree, says she has revolutionised the way Lakes DHB offers care to colorectal surgical patients, particularly around the provision of direct access colonoscopy, which did not exist prior to the development of the CNS role. He says Ann-Maree has put huge hours into driving quality improvement in endoscopy, has helped with the establishment of various guidelines and has worked to encourage medical staff to adhere to the guidelines.
The nomination for Ann-Maree included several letters from the family members of colorectal patients, acknowledging her care and support.

Taupo RN at Liston Heights Rest Home and Hospital, Deborah Angove was highly commended in this category.

The Lakes DHB Midwife of the Year Award has gone to Kay Towers, from Maternity Services at Rotorua.

Kay Towers' colleagues describe her as a treasure to maternity services, possessing a positive attitude and 'can do' Approach. Kay's leadership skills and forward thinking help ensure the smooth running of the unit and the safety of women and babies in the unit.
Her experience, excellent clinical skills and calm demeanour equip Kay to provide excellent midwifery care for both primary care women and women with more complex secondary care needs.
She is generous with her time and sharing of knowledge, is a Newborn Life Support instructor and assessor and teaches a range of workshops to midwifery staff and students..
Kay has achieved Leadership Level of the National Framework of Quality and Leadership Programme for Midwives, which has involved working across the scope of practice at a leadership level, teaching sessions, quality assurance activities and professional development.

Lead Maternity Carer Nita Van Boven was highly commended in this category.

School Nurse Cathy Flavell, from John Paul College has won the Enrolled Nurse of the Year award.

Cathy Flavell goes beyond the call of duty in her role of School Nurse at John Paul College. She is an integral part of the Wellness Centre at the school, being at the centre of all the activities connected to the centre. Cathy has a high profile within the school and the community, has a great knowledge base and this is recognised and utilised by students, staff and parents.
Cathy understands confidentiality and manages the challenges of working with young people and their families with expertise. She supports the delivery of the Year 7 and 8 immunisation programme and goes the extra mile following up with students and their parents, to ensure all the paperwork is accounted for. Cathy is a credit to both the college and the nursing profession.

The Clinical Midwifery Manager Sue Finch has won the Cathy Cooney Nursing & Midwifery Leadership Award.

Sue actively works in the unit, providing supervision, clinical expertise and coaching to patients/parents, staff and students both medical and nursing/midwifery. She has a wealth of knowledge and experience of both primary and secondary care, and is often the first to identify potential or actual early warning of extreme risk clinical emergencies.
In her Professional Midwife Advisor role Sue has to advise on adverse events and their impacts on pregnant/delivering or postnatal women.
She is responsive to the wellbeing of her staff, is always cheerful, positive and displays the "can do" attitude, no matter how challenging the clinical environment. Sue is solutions focussed and diligent in finding solutions to the many and varied problems that occur on a daily basis.
Sue has been instrumental in the development and leadership of the Maternity Safety and Quality forum, and is often the midwife leader to raise issues within the regional and national fora. She has introduced quality improvements and cost saving measures from the simple - cheaper options for CTG straps to the complex, infant resuscitaires and emergency grab bags for inter hospital transfers.

Marlene Simon is the Health Care Assistant of the Year Award.

Marlene has worked for Lakes DHB in the Medical Unit for just under 16 years. Her CNM says Marlene frequently goes the extra mile for patients, their whanau and staff regardless of the discipline or title.
Marlene is described as pivotal to the smooth running of the Medical Unit. The medical teams in particular value her pre-made kits for certain procedures e.g. chest drain insertion, LP or pleurocentesis kits.
Marlene's strong worth ethic and commitment to ensure patients are cared for appropriately makes her highly valued by those on the Medical Unit.

The Kia Puawai Team from Tipu Ora has won the award for Best Nursing/Midwifery Innovation.

The Kia Puawai team (Western Heights Maternal and Child Health Integration Programme) works across primary, community and secondary care continuum.
The Kia Puawai team from Tipu Ora started as a two year demonstration site at the health centre in Brookland Road in September 2014, providing more responsive health and social support services for the community of Western Heights.
The team is led by RN Evalyn Berryman, and includes kaitiaki Wharangi Waetford and Huia Emery; RNs Sesilia Te Ao and Harata Carlson; Margie Epapara and Henariana Vaka.
The team works in partnership with Dr Alastair McLean and Mary McLean at the Western Heights Health Centre to develop a model for delivering a range of increased support and care for pregnant women and their babies.

Marieke Heidenreich has won this year's Nurse Entry to Practice New Graduate Award.

Marieke Heidenreich has developed skills and knowledge in her speciality area.
Marieke has participated in her own learning and involvement within the Medical Unit, as well as study days and the successful completion of a post grad paper in Clinical Practice Development.
She consistently demonstrates thinking outside the box. Her latest initiative came from recognising a deficit for her patients who had trouble tracking their daily fluid intake, often after being placed on a restriction. With input from patients, Marieke created a method to record their own fluid intake, which helps patients to manage their daily fluid intake themselves. This is currently being trialled on the unit.
Marieke has a kind, caring and respectful nature, and seeks guidance when she has concerns or queries.

Tane Takitu Ake Team, Korowai Aroha has won the award for Best Maori Development.

The Tane Takitu Ake programme aims to give Maori men with high social and health needs the tools and skills to improve their health and wellbeing. The philosophy is that men need to become leaders in their home, good partners and fathers, for the overall benefit and wellbeing of themelves and their respective whanau. The programme targets men or tane between 25 and 55 years living in the Rotorua district, who are either obese, have a cardiovascular related disease, diabetes or are at risk of developing a long term condition. The kaupapa Maori programme runs over 10 weeks and works with clients in a holistic sense, focusing on whanau, physical health, mental health and spiritual health. The team includes Hamu Lacey, Tracey Ormsby and RN Tim Ryan.