A Breast Care Nurse from the Southern Trust, Eimer McGeown has been shortlisted for a prestigious UK wide Nursing Times Award 2017.
Eimer was shortlisted in the category ‘Cancer Nursing’ for introducing a new group based aftercare service to women following breast cancer treatment.
Breast Care Nurses are key workers for patients with a breast cancer diagnosis, available to offer ongoing support both during treatment and for advice and follow up through their recovery.
Due to growing demand, patients were waiting longer than hoped for one-to-one post treatment support from the team.
For the first time in Northern Ireland, the team have now introduced nurse led peer group sessions which are allowing more patients to be reviewed much sooner than the traditional medical model.
Feedback from patients has been very positive, with women greatly benefitting from the support of each other.
Congratulating Eimer and the Breast Care Team on this award, Esther Gishkori, Director of Acute Services for the Southern Trust said: “The breast care team have transformed breast cancer follow- whilst at the same time empowering patients to take control of the management of their own recovery. This innovative approach allows the team to address a growing demand for their service, but more importantly is giving patients access to the support they need much more quickly.
“The new model has been a great success with our patients who are finding the group sessions enjoyable and greatly value sharing their experiences with each other.”
The Nursing Times Awards represents excellence in nursing and patient care, bringing together the best of the industry for an evening of recognition, celebration and networking.
With 22 categories, the coveted awards cover a wide range of achievements within the nursing profession.
The shortlisted organisations will now complete presentations and interviews to a judging panel and the winners will be announced at an awards ceremony in November. For more information https://awards.nursingtimes.net/
