The Sue Pembrey Award 2018
The Winner
FoNS is delighted to announce that the prestigious 2018 Sue Pembrey Nurse Leadership Award has been awarded to Heather Henry.
Heather is an independent public health nurse based in Sale in Greater Manchester. The judges commented: ‘Outstanding, a true pioneer, highly innovative and passionate. Heather is working as a social entrepreneur and innovator to empower and give voice to and connect disadvantaged communities with the resources to help themselves- through connecting with others.’
Professor Tony Long of the University of Salford said: ‘Heather has embraced the challenge of bringing about change for individuals and families in the current climate, adopting 21st century devices to overcome the lack of financial resources.’
‘Heather’s projects include one to improve the relationship between fathers and their children, enhancing the paternal role in childcare and stabilising the family in order that it can resolve more of its own problems. Another was a choir for children with asthma. Working with an assets-based approach, she harnesses the hidden abilities in the local community: inspiring, motivating, leading, supporting and finally handing over control to the families that were involved.’
Heather herself said: ‘I am very humbled to receive the Sue Pembrey Award 2018 and I want to thank the family and friends of Sue and the Foundation of Nursing Studies for giving me this opportunity to highlight my work.’
‘Sue was a pioneer of person-centred care and I hope that I can continue that tradition now in my work, partnering and innovating with communities experiencing deep disadvantage and social injustice, in order to improve wellbeing.’
‘I want to dedicate this award to the communities I work with and in particular to the fathers, children and mothers of Salford, from whom I have learnt so much about how to tackle inequality.’
Congratulations Heather.
Highly commended
The judges also wished to commend the two other short-listed candidates.
Nicky Smith is a Clinical Nurse Specialist (Orthopaedics) at Lewisham and Greenwich NHS Trust, London. The judges said: ‘Nicky is a very experienced specialist clinician who has clearly developed an innovative and important community-based service with in-reach into the hospital to support patients undergoing orthopaedic surgery.’
Rachel Watson is the Admiral Nurse Clinical Team Lead at Age UK, North Tyneside. The judges commented: ‘Rachel is passionate about patients and families and how she works and intervenes with families to enable a balance of care of the person with a dementia and for their nearest loved one who is often the carer.’