Tuesday 10 May 2011

NUH nurse wins prestigious graduate award

A dermatology Nurse Consultant from Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust (NUH) has won a ‘Recent Graduate’ award from the University of Nottingham.

Sandra Lawton was presented with the award at the 2011 Alumni Laureate Awards at the East Midlands Conference Centre on Saturday 7 May.

Each year, the university recognises the achievements of former students who have gone on to achieve great things in their chosen career.

Sandra, who has worked at the Queen’s Medical Centre of NUH for over 23 years, said: “The nomination and actually receiving such a prestigious award has made me feel very humble, especially as it is for something I love and do on a daily basis.

“To receive this alongside such eminent award winners made the evening very special. It was wonderful to have my family who have lived and breathed dermatology for over 20 years there, alongside colleagues from the University of Nottingham, NUH and parents from the Nottingham Eczema Support Group.

“Hearing what they and other colleagues had to say on video was very emotional and I think my speech reflected that. Words cannot say how delighted I was to receive the award, which is recognition for not only what I have done but all those who have been part of my nursing journey.”

Sandra became the UK’s second Nurse Consultant in dermatology in 2002, setting up the country’s first liaison service for primary and secondary care in 1990, a model which has now been adopted throughout the NHS. As part of her busy role, she holds hospital-based clinics, runs a team of community dermatology nurses, visits clinics in the community and advises dermatology colleagues locally and nationally.

It was in 1990 while working on the wards that Sandra saw the need for a dermatology nurse to liaise between primary and secondary care. It was Sandra who helped to set up the country’s first liaison nurse in dermatology.

Sandra now works with a team of dermatology nurses who cross primary and secondary care boundaries, from hospital services to community clinics to schools and the workplace.

In 1995, Sandra set up a support group for parents and children who suffer from eczema. More than a decade later the group is still going strong and has evolved into what is now known as the Nottingham Support Group for the Carers of Children with Eczema (NSGCCE). In 2003 Sandra was instrumental in the group being awarded the National Eczema Society Local Support Group award and in 2005 the group received the British Journal of Nursing Clinical Practice award.

In 2007, Sandra was awarded the prestigious title of Queens Nurse for her liaison work and nurse-led community service. She was one of 13 nurses to be given the title and it was the first time in 40 years that this award had been granted. She also won the Stone Award in 2010, recognising her contribution to nursing.

Besides her nursing work, Sandra has contributed to the medical community in numerous ways including writing books and papers of various dermatological matters. In 2003 she was awarded the ‘Public Servant of the Year Award’. She is an active member of the National Institute for Clinical Excellence eczema guidelines group and a trustee of the National Eczema Society.

ENDS