29 May 2024
We are delighted to announce that two of our staff members won awards at the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) Scotland Awards last week - including the prestigious ‘RCN Scotland Nurse of the Year’ title.
The awards, which took place last Thursday evening, saw Lynsey Russell, Senior Charge Nurse in our Intensive Therapy Unit (ITU) and Rachel Gardiner, Learning Disability Nurse, recognised for their hard work and inspiring achievements within nursing.
Lynsey picked up the prestigious ‘RCN Scotland Nurse of the Year’ title after also being announced as the winner of the Clinical Leadership Award earlier in the evening.
Since taking on the role of Senior Charge Nurse within ITU at the BGH three years ago, Lynsey has led on several projects aimed at both enhancing patient care and improving staff wellbeing. Her colleagues describe her as committed and passionate about intensive care nursing and she was nominated by them for creating a working environment in which nursing is consistently valued, recognised and supported.
The judges said they were inspired by her passion, dedication and outstanding contribution to nursing and that her nomination was a fantastic example of the very best of nursing in Scotland.
Our other award winner from NHS Borders, Rachel Gardiner, was part of the team of Queen’s Nurses who won the Learning Disability Award. Rachel and the team were nominated for their work on the QNIS Think COULD animation project, which aims to raise awareness about the need for better support for individuals with learning disabilities in the justice system. The team were said to have gone “above and beyond” to reduce health inequalities by ensuring people with learning disabilities are supported.
Sarah Horan, Director of Nursing, Midwifery and Allied Health Professionals at NHS Borders, said: “We are absolutely delighted that Lynsey and Rachel won the awards they were nominated for at the RCN awards on Thursday night. They are both worthy winners and deserve to be recognised for their hard work and dedication. We are incredibly proud of them both.
“Lynsey also winning the RCN Scotland Nurse of the Year title is a truly magnificent achievement. Lynsey works incredibly hard to make sure things are the best they can be for both her patients and her colleagues – and this award is a testament to how well she manages to do that every single day.”