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Patient nominates nurses for national award

25 March 2008

Nurses at Chelsea and Westminster have picked up a top national award after being nominated by one of their patients.

Nurses at Chelsea and Westminster have picked up a top national award after being nominated by one of their patients.

Rheumatoid arthritis patients were invited to nominate NHS staff for the National Rheumatoid Arthritis Society’s ‘Healthcare Champions in Inflammatory Arthritis’ award.

Rheumatology Specialist Nurses Bridget Ryan, Sarah Collis and Antonia Greeves, as well as Osteoporosis/Rheumatology Specialist Nurse Ashlynne Van Vuuren were nominated by Chelsea and Westminster patient Sheila Smith.

The National Rheumatoid Arthritis Society chose our team as among the top 20 healthcare champions for patients with rheumatoid arthritis in the UK.

To celebrate this success, the Trust team and Mrs Smith will join members of the All Party Parliamentary Inflammatory Arthritis Group at a special parliamentary event at the House of Commons on June 4.

Lynn Love, Director of Operations at the National Rheumatoid Arthritis Society, said: “We know full well that many people with rheumatoid arthritis across the country receive excellent care and support in helping them to cope with their disease.

“We wanted to celebrate the dedication and professionalism of those healthcare professionals who are really championing the cause of patients, which is why we invited our members to nominate their top rheumatology healthcare champions.

“I would like to give our heartfelt thanks to the team at Chelsea and Westminster for all their efforts on behalf of their patients.”

Rheumatology Specialist Nurse Bridget Ryan has had an article about the rheumatoid arthritis patient group at Chelsea and Westminster accepted for publication by Nursing Standard, the leading national magazine published by the Royal College of Nursing.

She has also submitted an application about this active patient group for the National Rheumatoid Arthritis Society’s ‘Patients in Focus’ awards.

Bridget said: “We are delighted to win the ‘Healthcare Champions in Inflammatory Arthritis’ award, especially because the winners were chosen by patients. We are really excited that our patients are developing a voice at Chelsea and Westminster and raising awareness of their needs.”

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