Two members of staff at Derriford Hospital have been shortlisted for prestigious national awards.
Honorary senior research nurse Archana Shajidevadas was named as one of three contenders for the Nurse of the Year Award, while advanced clinical practitioner Rachel Bryce was one of four shortlisted for the Oncology Nurse of the Year Award.
They were shortlisted in their categories as part of the British Journal of Nursing Awards.
Archana was shortlisted for her outstanding work in contributing to the nursing profession through clinical care, research and academia over the last 22 years.
Archana’s lead position in the pioneering Nursing Associate programme at University Hospitals Plymouth – funded by Health Education England – is one of her many accomplishments. This project saw students receive support in the form of education and pastoral care, which in turn directly supports the safe care of patients and alleviates nursing staff shortages.
Archana also monitored and assessed this pilot programme and fed these results back to Health Ed to improve the programme nationally.
Another success is Archana’s role in the Simple Discharge team, where she has supported the development of the service and how the hospital contacts its patients.
Archana said:
“Although I have worked and contributed to different levels of modern nursing through patient care, research and education, this national recognition came as a surprise for me. I would like to thank Elaine Freeman, the specialist research nurse, for the nomination and her support in the Research Department.
“It has been difficult for healthcare workers during the past few years, especially for nurses, due to the pandemic. However, we, the nurses, have proven to the world that nursing is a unique profession. Even in the unprecedented times, we cared for our patients with courage and commitment.”
Rachel was shortlisted for her remarkable work in improving the nursing care of acute oncology patients, their assessment, triage and emergency care.
Prior to September 2019, acute oncology patients had to call the ward or day unit for specialist chemotherapy advice. This led to complaints of delays with the phones being engaged or nurses unavailable. Determined to improve patient experience, in 2020 Rachel and her dedicated team established a single phone number, staffed predominantly by the specialist Acute Oncology team, that patients could call directly for the specialist advice that they require.
Rachel said:
“Although I have been nominated as an individual, I really do see this as a team award as I could not do my job without the amazing support and hard work from our fantastic team.”
