A CEREDIGION nurse has said scooping a community award at this year’s Royal College of Nursing Wales Nurse of Year Awards has been her “greatest achievement.”

Anwen Mai Jones, a Community Diabetes Specialist Nurse in Ceredigion, said she was “humbled and honoured” after taking home the Community Nursing Award at the event.

The award judges said that Anwen has “served the diabetes community of Ceredigion for many years as a community diabetes specialist nurse, cultivating a distinctive approach to community care.”

“Her innovative method involves implementing evidence-based care for patients and constantly encouraging colleagues to re-evaluate the care offered,” they said.

“She promoted close collaboration with GP practices in Ceredigion, bringing care closer to patients’ homes and enabling GPs to meet their diabetes enhanced service targets and demonstrate quality improvement.

“Anwen’s approach has led to improved patient satisfaction, stable prescribing costs and greater confidence in managing diabetes.

“These changes have all been propelled by Anwen’s passion for promoting individualised care, and sharing specialist knowledge widely among staff, patients and carers.”

Anwen said: “I am humbled and honoured to receive this award.

“It is a great honour and the greatest achievement of my nursing career.

“The joint collaborative working between me and primary and community care colleagues ensured improvement to the local diabetes service, demonstrating the benefit of integration and communication.

“I hope that by winning this award, I will inspire nursing colleagues to evaluate, reflect and enhance the care they provide by having the vision to question and improve services.”

Christine Brookes, Student Nurse/School Nurse Support Worker, was the winner of the Nursing Student Award and Sue Rees BEM, Advanced Nurse Practitioner (Community Infection Prevention) scooped the Improving Individual and Population Health Award, to give Hywel Dda a hat-trick of wins on the night, as well as five other nurses securing runners-up titles.

Chief Executive of Hywel Dda University Health Board, Steve Moore said he was “enormously proud” of the winners “and all our nursing staff, for the high quality care they continue to deliver every day for our patients.”

“It’s especially remarkable and inspiring that all these successes were gained through sheer hard work and commitment while facing the challenges of a global pandemic,” Mr Moore added.

The annual awards took place this year in a virtual ceremony on Wednesday, 10 November