Publish date: 11 October 2023
Staff nurse wins national award at the Patient Experience Network Awards
A nurse at Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust has won a national award for her dedication to supporting palliative care patients.
Staff nurse Avril Robinson won the ‘Patient Experience Professional of the Year’ at the 2023 Patient Experience Network (PEN) Awards for improving the experience of palliative care patients.
The PEN National Awards are the first and only awards programme that recognise and celebrate patient experience across all facets of health and social care in the UK. This year’s awards took place in Birmingham on September 28th, marking 13 years of the PEN National Awards.
Sharing her excitement, Avril said: “I’m very happy and grateful to have won this award. It has made me even more determined to carry on and to deliver the best possible care that I can. I definitely won’t be hanging my Northumbria Healthcare uniform any time soon!”
Avril has worked in the trust for 30 years and her role as a nurse on the palliative care unit consists of supporting patients through symptom management and holistic care. She also provides comfort to their families, including husbands, wives, parents, and siblings.
Palliative care offers physical, emotional, practical, and medical support to people who are living with a serious illness, such as cancer. It’s an approach which focuses on improving the quality of life of patients and their families. This is done by preventing and relieving suffering.
She added: “I find my job extremely rewarding and I try to give my absolute best to all patients. I don’t think there is a more rewarding job, especially when your patient has a peaceful death, and you hear positive feedback from families.
“Communication in this role is key to provide the care that patients and families need. We talk, laugh, and cry together and always support each other.
“I think it’s really important to make your patients feel special. I always try to go the extra mile for my patients by making their lives as ‘normal’ as possible and ensuring that they don’t miss out on special occasions such as birthdays, anniversaries, and holidays.
“We hold tombolas, raffles, cake stalls, and charity nights to raise money so we can buy them gifts. We do this to help boost their mood and remind them that they’re not forgotten about.”