Nurses and midwives who have gone above and beyond over the last year have been recognised in a set of annual NHS awards, with winners coming from both Erith and Croydon.

Now in its fifth year, the Guy's and St Thomas NHS Trust's annual Nursing and Midwifery Awards saw 15 individuals honoured for outstanding efforts.

The ceremony once again took place virtually, and included messages of support from Ruth May, Chief Nursing Officer for England, and Jane Clegg, Joint Regional Chief Nurse for London.

Amongst the winners was Dani Adams, from Erith, who was named Specialist Nurse of the Year.

Adams, a clinical nurse specialist in Evelina London’s rheumatology team, supports complex paediatric patients with inflammatory disorders and used new technology to monitor them at home during the pandemic.

This Is Local London: Dani Adams, specialist nurse of the yearDani Adams, specialist nurse of the year

She is a role model for her young patients and some of them have said they want to be a nurse like her when they are older.

Claire Kennard from Croydon, who leads the antenatal and newborn screening team, was given the honour of Midwife of the Year.

She was recognised for developing the service and supporting staff when new systems and pathways were implemented.

This Is Local London: Claire Kennard, midwife of the yearClaire Kennard, midwife of the year

Team of the Year went to the COVID-19 vaccination team who helped with the design and day-to-day running of the vaccination centres.

The team have acted as role models when training and managing new vaccinators, many who come from non-healthcare related backgrounds.

Since the vaccination centres opened in December 2020, the team has helped to deliver more than 500,000 doses of the vaccine.

Avey Bhatia, Chief Nurse at Guy’s and St Thomas’, said: “I am extremely proud of our outstanding nurses and midwives who have risen to the challenges we have faced over the last 18 months.

"They have delivered compassionate care to thousands of patients and their families so it’s really important to us that we recognise and celebrate their fantastic achievements.”

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