The Good Governance Institute launched the award in honour of Julie Bolus, a beloved and greatly respected nurse and NHS executive director, who sadly passed away in April 2021. The award celebrates nurses who share Julie’s passion, dedication to patient care and drive to reach the best outcomes in their work.
Diana White-Blake, a Senior Registered Mental Health Nurse at Cygnet Elms, in Streetly Road, Birmingham, has reached the top 20 final shortlist and will attend a virtual award ceremony on 25 November, where the winner will be announced.
Diana qualified as a mental health nurse in 2004 and has worked at Cygnet for four years, where she helps women with learning disabilities and complex needs. She said that working in the healthcare profession has always been a dream of hers, commenting that a highlight of her job is supporting junior staff and student nurses to build similar careers and improve their practice.
Diana said: “I was very happy and honoured when I found out I had been nominated. I was really choked up thinking I was actually considered let alone been shortlisted.”
She emphasised that nursing is a very rewarding career and said “Seeing service users improve and move forward under our care is what keeps me going throughout difficult times. It’s marvellous to see them throughout their journey, from a point of crisis to eventually being discharged.”
During the pandemic, she noted that the greatest challenge was avoiding “doom and gloom” among the service users. To keep spirits up, she went above and beyond to keep everyone stocked up with the shopping items they wanted in her spare time. She praised her team at Cygnet Elms for all of their support and patience throughout this challenging period.
In light of the national shortage of nurses especially in mental health sector, Diana called on more people to train as a nurse. She said “If you care about people and want to see others achieve their maximum potential, this is the profession for you. Those who truly care make the best nurses as they will do whatever they can to help those in their service.”
Cygnet Elms is a 10-bed high dependency complex care service for women with learning disabilities and associated complex needs. The service is rated Outstanding by the Care Quality Commission.
More information about the Julie Bolus Rising Star Award can be found here.