North East NHS partnership with University of Sunderland in line for national award

Posted: 12/04/19

A North East NHS Trust is in line for a prestigious national healthcare award.

Northumberland, Tyne and Wear NHS Foundation Trust (NTW), which provides mental health and disability services across the region, has been shortlisted in the Partnership of the Year category for the Student Nursing Times Awards 2019.

The nomination recognises the comprehensive and innovative collaboration between the mental health Vocational Pathway within NTW’s Community South Clinical Business Unit (CBU) and the University of Sunderland’s Patient Carer Public Involvement Project (PCPI).

The partnership provides service users in South Tyneside and Sunderland with access to a wide range of education, training and employment opportunities.

Once individuals have been referred by NTW to the PCPI project and have passed the University’s recruitment process, they participate in a number of areas with students who are healthcare professionals in training, including providing teaching on selected course modules and sharing their own views as ‘experts by experience’.

Specialist Occupational Therapist Keith Charlton along with graduates of the Community South CBU Vocational Pathway represented NTW and co-presented the project with the University of Sunderland to a panel of judges in London in March 2019.

It’s been a long journey to set up this fantastic partnership with the University of Sunderland, and we’re really pleased to have been shortlisted for this award.

We have worked hard to ensure the stories and narratives of our service users have shaped this partnership and feel they identify with, own and shape the PCPI programme.

Graeme SmithLead Occupational Therapist at NTW

I am delighted that our mental health Vocational Pathway has been shortlisted for the 2019 Student Nursing Times Awards.

I am very proud of all of the staff, volunteers and service users who have worked tirelessly and passionately to make this pathway such a success resulting in the shortlist, and I wish them every success at the awards.

Sarah RushbrookeGroup Director for NTW’s South Locality

The winners will be announced at the Student Nursing Time Awards ceremony which takes place in London on Friday 26 April 2019.