Buckie nurse gets the full award treatment!
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A BUCKIE-based nurse has been presented with a prestigious national professional award.
Shirley Catto, who has worked as a neurology nurse specialist at Seafield Hospital in the town for the past six years, has been awarded the historic Queen's Nurse title.
She was joined by two other NHS Grampian nurses – Nicola Dickie (health visitor/team leader, Links Medical Practice, Elgin) and Laura Rothney (senior nurse practitioner, Royal Cornhill Hospital) – in picking up her award from the Queen’s Nursing Institute Scotland (QNIS) at an event in Edinburgh on Friday, December 2.
They were among 20 community nurses selected to complete a nine-month programme, which consists of a week-long residential workshop followed by two further workshops and individual coaching sessions.
The programme requires them to choose an issue for development which will have a significant impact on those they care for, so that the learning during the nine months is applied in practice.
Ms Catto said: "What an honour this is to be recognised for something I do as a daily job.
"I love what I do and I've had a real passion for it since I started nursing. I feel I'm one of the most privileged people – I love my clients and hope I never let them down.
"I work with people who have Parkinson's disease and also those who have Huntingdon's disease. I'm the only person in Moray who looks after people with these conditions, so it's a big geography to cover. There's quite a high prevalence of Parkinson's in Moray, and I have around 230 clients with the condition and 50 with Huntingdon's.
"My approach is 'what they need is what they get'. It can be something as simple as lending a listening ear or giving them a hug. I also can act as a client's voice with GPs, for example if they're having difficulty getting an appointment, and also with hospital consultants.
"I'm very much community-based and hold clinics at Seafield Hospital in Buckie, Dr Gray's in Elgin and in Forres."
The programme which gained Mr Catto, who lives in Keith, the award was, she said, something which was "small but very important".
"My project focuses on getting medicines to patients in hospital who have Parkinson's on time, every time," she continued.
"It's really important as as these patients need their medicines outside of the usual times. Parkinson's doesn't sit on a schedule and every person's needs are different. It's about getting it right for every patient.
"It may seem a small thing but it's very important. Medicines can help people with Parkinson's move more easily – for some patients, not getting that medicine on time may mean they are bedridden until they get their next dose.
"It will be an ongoing and evolving project."
Executive nurse director for NHS Grampian, Dr June Brown, said: “I am absolutely delighted for Shirley, Nicola, and Laura.
"Achieving the Queen’s Nurse award, alongside their extremely busy day job, is no mean feat and they should be very proud of themselves.
“Nursing is a dynamic and exciting career, which can take you in many different directions. I look forward to following Shirley, Nicola, and Laura’s progress in the months and years ahead.”
Queen’s Nursing in Scotland dates to the late 19th century, when nurses completed specific training which allowed them to work as district nurses. With the advent of national certificates for district nursing, the training ended, but the title was reintroduced in 2017, as a development programme for nurses.
QNIS supports, develops and inspires Scotland’s community nurses and midwives to be agents for health improvement and catalysts for social change. It seeks to help them develop their expertise to drive positive action to build a healthier, kinder, fairer, greener Scotland.
The institute does this by supporting nurses and midwives to: Initiate and lead community projects that tackle health and care inequity, sustainably and in partnership with local people; Be compassionate, creative and courageous leaders in their communities by providing challenging and inspiring transformational development programmes; Build connections with a wide range of stakeholders to co-produce hopeful, research-informed responses to Scotland’s public health challenges; Demonstrate their extraordinary scope and impact on Scottish society by advocating for the professions; Focus on their own wellbeing and promoting the fellowship of retired Queen’s Nurses.
Her Late Majesty Queen Elizabeth II was the patron of QNIS.
