This blog was written by Lisa Duek, Registered Nurse and Programme Manager at Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS).
Throughout history, nurses and midwives have been at the heart of healthcare, dedicated to care and heal with compassion; they are there from the beginning of life when we take our first breath, and they help ease suffering at our last.
This year, we are given a unique opportunity to truly applaud the indispensable role of these two wonderful professions through an international collaboration between the WHO, ICN and Nursing Now; The Year of the Nurse and the Midwife 2020 in recognition of the 200th anniversary of the birth of Florence Nightingale.
As supporters of the Kate Granger Awards and #hellomynameis campaign since 2016, and in collaboration with the late Kate Granger’s husband Chris Pointon, we at HIMSS are honoured to dedicate this year’s Kate Granger Award 2020 to compassionate, outstanding nursing and midwifery care and shine a spotlight on inspiring stories from across our European HIMSS Nursing Communities.
Promoting compassionate clinical practice across Europe
There are three categories to the awards, and this year we have expanded Category 1 to recognise both a nurse and a midwife, as we believe they absolutely deserve equal recognition!
- Category 1: Individual nurse and individual midwife
- Category 2: Team or organisation
- Category 3: Best use of innovation
The decision-making panel will be comprised of last years winners, and a selection of expert clinical nurse & midwife leaders from the HIMSS Nursing Communities based in Finland, The Netherlands, the UK, Denmark and Ireland who collaborate and share in unison to promote the role of nurses and midwives working in healthcare informatics.
The awards will be presented during the annual HIMSS & Health 2.0 European Conference in Helsinki, Finland in May 2020. The 8 shortlisted winners will be showcased through the HIMSS communities preceding the event, to share excellent examples of compassionate, innovative care, and hopefully inspire others to replicate in their own clinical areas.
Angela Velkova, Director of HIMSS communities, explains “We hope to share the best stories from nurses and midwives, allowing their care initiatives to act as beacons of motivation to others to implement outstanding compassionate care, and improve patient experiences across Europe and further afield.”
It’s important, especially in this special year dedicated to nurses and midwives, that we empower them to recognise their accomplishments and take a moment to celebrate the advances in care that make a difference. Please consider submitting for yourself (don’t be shy) or nominate someone else you believe deserves the spotlight.
Kate Granger’s story and legacy lives on…
Kate Granger was a British doctor who in 2011 was diagnosed with a rare type of abdominal sarcoma; she was given months to live. During her treatment in NHS hospitals, she was shocked by the lack of compassion from the clinicians treating her, so took action by starting a social media campaign #hellomynameis encouraging more compassionate care, which has since become global, with its own international day celebrated on the 23rd July.
In 2013, as momentum for the campaign grew, Kate launched The Kate Granger Awards recognising compassionate care in the United Kingdom’s National Health Service (NHS). Kate would be extremely proud of how far her message has travelled; the campaign and awards are now global, with clinicians able to recognise best practice through the annual European awards and the North American Kate Granger Award presented at the HIMSS Global Conference in Orlando, Florida.
Kate surprised everyone and lived for five years, during which time did more than most of us do in a lifetime; she qualified as a consultant in elderly medicine; became a Member of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (MBE); received the 2015 New Year Honours, wrote two books and raised more than £250,000 (now 500,000) for the charities she supported and which her husband Chris continues to support.
Join us in honouring Kates’ legacy and The Year of the Nurse and the Midwife by sharing, submitting nominations or attending the awards this May!
- To learn more about HIMSS, CLICK HERE
- If you would like to join as a member of the HIMSS Nursing and Midwifery Informatics Community, email llleonart@himss.org
- To find out more about the Kate Granger Awards CLICK HERE
- To discover the HIMSS Nursing Communities, please CLICK HERE
