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Our Cygnet Nursing Awards 2024 Winners

A couple of our Nursing Awards winners

Yesterday we held our annual Cygnet Nursing Awards at the National Conference Centre and Motorcycle Museum, Birmingham.

The event was hosted by David Wilmott, Cygnet’s Director of Nursing, who said: “The annual Cygnet Nursing Awards provides an opportunity for staff to nominate colleagues for the exceptional work that they do. This year we had a record number of nominations and it gives me enormous pleasure to recognise those who make outstanding contributions to the care that our service users and residents receive.”

Karen Johnson, Senior Vice President and Chief Clinical Officer, Behavioural Health at Cygnet’s parent company Universal Health Services, Inc. (UHS) announced the finalists and winners of Cygnet’s Nursing Awards 2024, which included new categories to celebrate nurses and support workers in our social care services.

This year there were 529 nominations across nine awards categories and there were also several special recognition awards presented by David Wilmott.

Congratulations to our winners, who are all listed below.

Nurse Compassionate Leader

Winner: Rachel Burke

Rachel Burke and David Wilmott

Rachel is Deputy Manager at Tabley House, our nursing home near Knutsford in Cheshire. On receiving her awards Rachel said: “I feel very honoured to receive this award. Being compassionate is part of every day work, I feel really emotional. Nursing and caring for people is my life, I love every day.”

Nurse Education Award

Winner: Laurie Burleton

Laurie Burleton and David Wilmott

Laurie is Clinical Manager at Cygnet Hospital Maidstone. On receiving her award Laurie said: “This feels amazing. I am really passionate about our preceptorship nurses and ensuring that they have a really good start to their nursing career. I want to ensure they have opportunities for upskilling so that our patients receive the very best care. It’s so wonderful to be recognised.”

Diversity and Inclusion Award

Winner: Vicki Wakefield

Vicki Wakefield and David Wilmott

Vicki is a Clinical Team Leader for our specialist deaf service at Cygnet Hospital Bury. Vicki said: “I’m over the moon to win this award, promoting Diversity and Inclusion is something I’ve been working on for years. Thank you to Cygnet for recognising all of my work that I’ve put in. I want our deaf service to get the recognition it deserves and also for our deaf service users to get the right support that they need to have equal opportunities. Now I get to go back to my deaf colleagues and deaf service users and show that if I can achieve something, they can too.”

Speak Up Award

Winner: Katrina Hillier

Katrine Hillier and David Wilmott

Katrina Hillier is a Support Worker at Cygnet Alders Clinic, our personality disorder service in Gloucester. Katrina said: “I have recently become a Freedom to Speak Up Ambassador so to be nominated was fantastic, let alone winning. I am over the moon. Speaking up is so important to ensure patients and staff are seen as equal, that everybody has an opportunity to be listened to and to ensure that voices are heard. By doing that, we can make sure any changes that need to be made can be done.”

Nurse Leader of the Year

Winner: Jesse Sackey (accepted by Kirti Paik-Inkar on Jesse’s behalf)

Kirti Paik-Inkar and David Wilmott

Support Worker of the Year Health Care

Winner: Magnus Ezuma

Magnus Ezuma and David Wilmott

Magnus is a Support Worker at Cygnet Joyce Parker Hospital, our Child and Adolescent mental health service in Coventry. Magnus said: “This is a huge surprise. No two days are the same in my job and that is why I love it. We see young people come in very poorly and we see them make the most remarkable progress. When they leave and turn round to say thank you, it’s the most amazing feeling. Awards like this show that the work you are doing, it is being seen and appreciated. This means a lot to me.”

Support Worker of the Year Social Care

Winner: Gemma Meakin

Gemma Meakin and David Wilmott

Gemma is a Therapy Co-ordinator at Birches, oure residential service in Newark, Nottinghamshire. Gemma said: “It is brilliant to represent not only myself but Birches. The residents are absolutely the best thing about my job, seeing them smile and achieve things. I hope the passion for my job shines through.”

Nurse of the Year Health Care

Winner: Memory Mafuleka

Memory Mafuleka and David Wilmott

Memory Mafuleka is Mental Health Nurse at Cygnet Alders Clinic, our personality disorder service in Gloucester. Memory said: “I take great pride in winning this award. My job involves supporting women with personality disorder, supporting them through their rehabilitation journey and helping to take care of their needs. It is such an honour for me to have this work recognised. I take pride in helping people in their lowest times, through their most difficult periods and to be there with them. They come to us when they are at their most vulnerable and to be a part of their journey when they are struggling and to make a difference is amazing.”

Nurse of the Year Social Care

Winner: Daisy Motlogwa

Daisy Motlogwa and David Wilmott

Daisy is a nurse at Oaklands, our residential service in Hexham. Daisy said: “I am ecstatic about winning, it means everything. I have been with Cygnet for 4 years and to be recognised is absolutely amazing. It is rewarding to see the people I care for flourishing from not being able to do anything independently and then enabling them to live a normal life, often back in the community and achieve things people never expected them to.”

Expert by Experience Award

Winner: Ella Nicholson

Ella Nicholson

Ella is an Expert by Experience Award who works at Cygnet Hospital Maidstone and Cygnet Churchill. Ella said: “I am really chuffed to win, I wasn’t expecting it. I am always keen to get involved and have regular visits at Churchill and Maidstone, as well as with head office. I try to help in any way that I can and get stuck in. I really care about the service users and making a difference. It’s not the nicest experience to be a service user so I want to go in and make people’s day a little bit brighter.”

Director of Nursing Recognition Award Winners

Julie Johnson

Julie Johnson, David Wilmott and Laura Sheridan

Julie is a team leader at Cygnet Hospital Hexham. Julie said: “I started the job during Covid and this means the world to me. I want to make a difference every day. One of my proudest achievements recently was winning the Triangle of Care award, which showcases how we, as a service, involve families and carers in the care of their loved one. My heart missed a beat when I found out I’d won this award. I love working for Cygnet, I work with a fantastic team and to make a difference each day is incredible. When families thank you for what you’ve done, you can’t bottle the feeling you get.”

Josh Clarke, Nurse Associate, Cygnet Nield House

David Wilmott and Josh Clarke

Will Anderson-White

David Wilmott and Will Anderson-White

Will is the Operational Improvement Lead at Cygnet Hospital Harrow. He said: “I like to think I have gone above and beyond and I always go where the need is. I try and remain poisitive in everything I do and make a good impact on services. Since being with Cygnet I feel that my voice is heard and I have a platform to really launch my career. People allow me to come with new ideas and that’s been a launching pad for me. To win this award is really surprising but also marks an important point in my career. I’m really happy.”

Gradution Ceremony

In addition to the Nursing Awards our Learning & Development team also hosted a Graduation Ceremony to celebrate our Nurse Associates.

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