An award winning team of nurse educators at London North West University Healthcare (LNWH) NHS Trust has enabled critical care nurses working at Ealing Hospital to gain postgraduate qualifications – without paying university fees.
The team, recently honoured at the Student Nursing Times Awards, developed an in-house course that allows intensive care nurses to earn a Postgraduate Certificate in Critical Care. So far, 65 nurses have completed the training which LNWH has said has boosted workforce retention and strengthened the trust’s ICU capacity.
The course requires nurses to develop improvement projects, such as antibiotic stewardship and mindfulness strategies. The team beat more than 600 entries to win Nurse Education Provider of the Year (Post-Registration) award.
The judges said of the nurse educators: “This winning team impressed the panel with their innovative approach to education—bringing learning to the bedside in a way that directly enhances patient safety and reduces clinical incidents. Their scalable model not only supports international nurses through tailored teaching, but also strengthens the vital partnership between the university and ICU. A brilliant example of collaboration and forward-thinking in practice.”
Lecturer practitioner Melanconia Duval Pazzaglia, seconded from the University of West London, helped design the programme. She said: “When we invest in our nurses, we invest in better care for our patients. I hope winning an award inspires others to share their own innovations.”
