Above: Our finalists and their guests: (left to right) Anna Fort, Guest, Sophie Doyne-Ditmas, Marie Aitkenhead, Sonia Green, Karina Tobin, Shona Cornish, Chloe Baser, Lisa Marie-Veale, Guest, Dawn Slater. Liz Fox (not present in photo) was also a finalist.
Nurses from Livewell Southwest have received regional praise for the work they do to support the community in Plymouth and its surrounding areas.
The South West Community and Primary Care Nursing Awards recognise the excellence of community and primary care nurses, and the pivotal role they play in caring for the people in their communities and addressing health inequalities.
Seven finalists from Livewell attended the award ceremony in Taunton last week. The afternoon was a successful one for Sonia Green and Marie Aitkenhead, who brought home awards, with Sophie Doyne-Ditmas and Karina Tobin receiving Highly Commended recognition from the judges.
Winner – Community Nursing Leadership Award
Sonia Green, Practice Lead for Nursing, Adult Frailty Specialist Services
Sonia’s award recognised her outstanding leadership, compassion, and dedication to improving community nursing. Through her innovative working groups, including diabetes and catheter care, she’s brought teams together to share learning and drive change. As a Queen’s Nurse, Sonia role models professionalism.
Judges praised her “leadership and dedication that uplift the teams around her,” highlighting her ability to identify improvements and make meaningful changes.
Winner – Outstanding “New to” Community/Primary Care Nurse
Marie Aitkenhead, Clinical Lead, Community Crisis Response Team
Marie was recognised for the remarkable impact she’s made in a short time with Livewell’s Community Crisis Response Team. She’s played a key role in developing new nursing and practitioner roles within the team, helping to prevent delays, support other community services and enhance patient care.
Judges praised Marie’s “supportive nature and commitment to developing skills and competencies across her team,” as well as her ability to build strong professional relationships in such a short time.
Highly Commended – Children and Young People Award
Sophie Doyne-Ditmas, Student Nurse Associate, CAMHS Eating Disorder Pathway
Sophie has developed age-appropriate ways of explaining care and interventions to children and young people, which has significantly improved their understanding and reduced anxiety. Her creative approach has inspired colleagues and positively influenced how they support young people.
The judges described Sophie’s work as “sustainable and impactful,” commending her ability to engage with children and young people and her dedication to improving outcomes.
Highly Commended – Above and Beyond Community Nurse Award
Karina Tobin, Community Sister, North District Nursing Team
Karina was recognised for going above and beyond in her care of a patient requiring complex support. She coordinated care across multiple teams, ensuring seamless communication to manage the patient’s needs effectively.
Judges highlighted Karina’s “outstanding patient care and her support for colleagues across primary and secondary care.”
Shona Cornish, Nursing Professional Lead, said: “This was a very successful afternoon for Livewell at an event that celebrates excellence in the community and recognises the pivotal roles all of our staff play in delivering the best possible outcomes for the people we care for.
“Congratulations to all of our finalists and winners.”
Dawn Slater, Director of People and Professionalism, said: “I feel very proud of the nominations for our amazing staff in these awards.
“Livewell has a fantastic workforce who go above and beyond every day to provide fantastic care to people, and kindness to each other.
“I’m so proud of our winners – but they’re all winners to us.”
Left to right: Sonia Green and Marie Aitkenhead with their awards
