3 July 2014
A PIONEERING nurse who helped set up one of the largest centres in Europe using easy-to-swallow pill cameras to diagnose bowel problems has been shortlisted by the Nursing Times for the ‘Nurse of the Year’ award.
Kaye Drew, of Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, is one of seven nurses across the country shortlisted for the prestigious award which recognises innovations that are shaping and improving nurse-led care and making life better for patients.
Kaye was the first nurse in the country – and possibly the world – to provide independent advice on capsule endoscopy, which uses a small camera-sized pill to help investigate and treat small bowel and colon problems. The small bowel endoscopy service, which is based at the Royal Hallamshire Hospital, is one of the foremost units of its kind in the world.
Patients having these extensive investigations suffer from severe symptoms, and traditional investigations have been invasive and unpleasant. Kayehas also been instrumental in developing and writing nursing protocols and information leaflets, so that other centres across the UK can develop their own services.
Kaye Drew, an advanced capsule endoscopy practitioner at the Royal Hallamshire Hospital, said: “Nurses have been asked to work in different ways, so I’m delighted to have been nominated for this prestigious award. Improving treatment and care for patients is vital, and Sheffield has very much led the way in developing capsule endoscopy services, which provide positive and timely experiences to patients who would otherwise be undergoing highly unpleasant tests. Our pioneering service has reduced waiting times, and I personally read and report on the majority of capsule endoscopy procedures in the largest centre in Europe, so I’m privileged that our work has been recognised in these prestigious awards.”
Kaye was recently awarded £500 from the British Society of Gastroenterology after winning the Nurse Grant Prize. The money is to be used to develop a study day for nurses using pill-sized cameras for investigations of the small bowl and colon.
The winners of the Nursing Times Awards will be announced on Wednesday 29 October at the Grosvenor House Hotel in London.
ENDS
Photo: Kaye Drew at the Royal Hallamshire Hospital and an image from a capsule endoscopy investigation.
MEDIA CONTACT:
Claudia Blake, Communications Specialist
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Email: claudia.blake@sth.nhs.uk