The shortlisting recognises the significant contribution Hayley has made nationally to the nursing profession – in particular the major influence she has had in the specialist field of nutritional nursing, making a huge difference to the lives of scores of patients.
Dr Chris Mountford, consultant gastroenterologist and physician who submitted Hayley’s nomination said he was delighted to hear that Hayley has been shortlisted for this prestigious award.
“On behalf of the whole Intestinal Failure and Home Parenteral Nutrition Support team in Newcastle I would like to congratulate Hayley,” said Chris.
“For many years now Hayley has ensured that personalised care of the highest standard is at the forefront of the service we offer patients across the North East and Cumbria. Our patient population have often encountered severe life changing health problems which require major adjustments to manage, not least the reliance on complex fluid and nutrient infusions, in some cases administered every day of the week for the remainder of their life.
Chris added “Hayley leads by example, supporting patients through this difficult adjustment with the utmost compassion and care. She thoroughly deserves this recognition and we wish her the very best of luck on the night of the awards ceremony. Whether or not she brings home the award, we are all very proud of her achievements and for getting this far in being shortlisted.”
Dedicated, specialist care
Hayley was the first nurse in the North East to be appointed to a role dedicated to caring for patients with chronic intestinal failure in 2009. This condition means the body is unable to absorb nutrients from fluids and food via the intestinal tract having a major impact on their health.
To ensure patients receive all the nutrients they need, a home parenteral nutrition (HPN) mixture is given directly into the bloodstream through a tiny catheter tube called a central venous catheter (CVC).
CVCs are delicate and in need of special care – over the last 15 years Hayley has taken a meticulous approach to developing the highest quality of safe practice enabling patients to self-manage their own HPN. She established a comprehensive training programme including detailed resources to support both patients and healthcare professionals providing care in hospital and community settings.
Hayley has a truly exceptional, warm and compassionate approach to care.
Dr Chris Mountford, consultant gastroenterologist and physician
Chris continued: “She actively supports patients upon discharge from hospital, carrying out visits during the evening, again the following morning and with as many follow up visits as required in order to guide, give advice and build their confidence.
“This selfless commitment to fully supporting connection and disconnection to the HPN devices used – in addition to her multiple daytime activities – is just one example of how she regularly goes above and beyond for her patients.”
Another example is when Hayley personally drove out to patients’ homes, including during evenings and weekends, to ensure they had all the HPN they needed during a prolonged period of supply disruption.
A national leader in safe, high quality care
The team in Newcastle currently cares for around 160 patients living all over the Northern Region. Hayley’s individualised training approach takes an average of 12 hours for each patient and her ambition to ensure every patient feels empowered and confident to manage their own condition has resulted in a phenomenal 90% confidently administering their nutrition independently at home. This is well above the average rates reported anywhere else in the UK.
And that’s not all. The service’s HPN catheter related blood stream infection rate is consistently less than 0.5/1000 catheter days, making Newcastle one of the best and safest specialist centres in the UK. Hayley is responsible for having driven standards to such a high level through her comprehensive training programme for line care.
“Such an achievement is down to Hayley’s unwavering commitment to placing patients’ needs above her own” continued Chris. “Her compassion and depth of knowledge around the health and social circumstances of all our patients greatly enhances the holistic care she can provide.
Nothing makes her and our patients happier than when she is sitting and listening to their health concerns whether in hospital or at home, offering both professional and personal support.
Dr Chris Mountford, consultant gastroenterologist and physician
National influence and recognition
This isn’t the first time Hayley’s work has received national recognition. She was awarded the BAPEN’s Pam Harris Medal in 2019 for successfully implementing new improved Hickman line repair protocols resulting in median line survival after repair of 264 days, which she presented nationally with UK teams.
In that same year Newcastle’s specialist nutrition nursing team were proud to win the British Society of Gastroenterology Nurses Association (BSGNA) Nurse’s Award which saw their ‘Gold Standard’ care pathway recognised by professional peers as a beacon of excellence.
She has been a member of the National HPN Clinical Advice and Management Group since its inception in 2019 and recently provided expert HPN nurse input to an NHS England workstream developing the nursing workforce within this field. The approach Hayley has developed locally across the North East has been acknowledged as an exemplar of good practice.
Of Hayley’s shortlisting Executive director of nursing Ian Joy said: “Hayley is an excellent nurse specialist and I’m delighted to see her dedication to delivering compassionate patient care of the highest standards aptly shortlisted for this prestigious award.
“A key priority for our organisation is to encourage and empower our staff to influence and shape how care is delivered locally, regionally and nationally.
Hayley is a perfect example of how strong clinical leadership can lead you to being recognised as an exemplary nursing professional, with invitations to contribute expert advice to national forums.
Ian Joy, Executive director of nursing
“We’re incredibly proud of Hayley’s many accomplishments and wish her the very best of luck at the awards night.”
Perhaps most importantly patient feedback clearly and consistently cites Hayley’s outstanding contribution for our patients – as one quote says “her dedication shines through”.
Patient Feedback
“My first introduction to the TPN team from the Freeman Hospital was when Hayley visited me in Sunderland Royal. She advised of their speciality in providing the necessary nutrition that would help me put on weight, so they arranged for me to be admitted to the Freeman where they trained me to administer the TPN over a period of two weeks.
The care and the attention to detail was exceptional.
“When discharged Hayley called at our house after work to make sure we were comfortable administering our first TPN – this was 7pm in the evening Hayley also called the following morning at 7:30am before work to assist us disconnecting the TPN. We feel that the care I received was exceptional. Big thank you for going the extra mile.”
“You have been more than just a nurse to me over the past years, especially when I first came in under the team so young and with spending so much time in hospital. Thank you for listening since day one.”
I am sure other TPN patients would agree on how much of an incredible influence you are.
“Thank you for being a 5 Star nurse and making TPN training not so terrifying.”
The British Journal of Nursing (BJN) Awards 2024
This year’s British Journal of Nursing Awards will take place on Friday 22 March 2024 honouring outstanding care and innovation, recognising and rewarding achievements whilst highlighting the critical contribution that nurses make to healthcare.
We wish Hayley the very best of luck at the ceremony.
