The winners of the ACT’s 2020 Nursing and Midwifery Excellence Awards have been announced in the year the World Health Organisation has declared the International Year of the Nurse and Midwife.
Minister for Health, Rachel Stephen-Smith congratulated the winners of the annual awards which celebrate the work nurses and midwives do to contribute to the health and wellbeing of the Canberra community.
Chief Nurse and Midwifery Officer, Anthony Dombkins said award recipients were nominated by their peers and demonstrated the highest standards within their winning categories.
“The skill, compassion, dedication and commitment to the health industry requires the highest of praise – these winners are great role models to the profession,” Mr Dombkins said.
“COVID-19 does not define nursing,” he said
“It highlights the profession’s attributes of tenacity and a definite commitment to our profession and patients regardless of the challenges we face in the clinical arena.”
Mr Dombkins said the top three awards went to Christopher Harris, Nurse of the Year; Kathy Coonan, Midwife of the Year; and Britt Shephard (pictured, left) and Shannon Narracott (pictured, right), Team of the Year.
He said other award recipients included Nikki Johnston for Excellence in Quality Improvement and Research Practice; Heather Needham for Excellence in Leadership Practice; Mercy Lukose, Excellence in Management Practice; Rachel Bilton-Simek, Excellence in Educational Practice; and the Ward 11A team at Canberra Health Services for their Excellence in Clinical Practice.
