Update - Nurse Providing Isle of Man Dementia Service up to Top Award

A nurse whose service has helped provide one-to-one support for carers and people living with dementia has been shortlisted for a prestigious UK award.

Jeanette Hogg’s Admiral Nurse Service based in Hospice Isle of Man has provided one-to-one support for carers and people living with dementia since July 2021.

It builds a therapeutic, person-centred, three-way relationship with patients, carers and health professionals and provides ongoing support after bereavement.

Ms Hogg has been selected from hundreds of entries as a finalist in the Commitment to Carers category of the RCN Nursing Awards 2022.

She will find out if she has won at a ceremony on Thursday 6 October at the Park Plaza Westminster Bridge Hotel in London.

The RCN Nurse of the Year 2022 will be selected from all the category winners and will also be announced at the event. The Admiral Nurse Service is funded by the Forget Me Not charity, supported by Dementia UK and hosted by Hospice Isle of Man. The team of two Admiral Nurses support people living with dementia and their carers through key transition points on the dementia journey.

Support is a combination of face-to-face, telephone and group sessions and carers are given practical tips to manage behaviours alongside emotional and psychological support.

Specially trained compassionate volunteers provide community respite in people’s own homes and give carers a much-needed break and some time to themselves.

Ms Hogg said: ‘One other thing that makes us unique is that we continue to provide this support to carers once their loved one has died.

‘While other agencies tend to discharge the carer once the person living with dementia has died, the Admiral Nurse team continues to support the carer through this massive period of change post-bereavement.

‘We support the carers and help them reconnect to society and fill the void after bereavement and we continue supporting them until they feel ready to move forward without us.’

She continued: ‘I am so proud of what we have achieved as a team in the last year and how far the service has come. 

‘To be shortlisted from so many entrants is humbling, as I know the bar is set so high for these awards. It gives me immense satisfaction to be formally recognised for the great work we are doing in supporting people living with dementia and their carers, especially with the COVID-19 pandemic and some quite difficult personal circumstances thrown into the mix. It is very rewarding to be able to represent both the hospice where I work and also being able to promote the role of Admiral Nurses and be an ambassador for Dementia UK at these awards.’

RCN general secretary and chief executive Pat Cullen said: ‘This shortlist showcases the very best of nursing and highlights the work we do day in, day out to improve the health and well-being of our patients.

‘I am so proud of all of these finalists.’

The Foundation of Nursing Studies is the event’s charity partner this year. Its chief executive and chair of the awards judging panel Joanne Bosanquet said: ‘The quality of entries again this year was so high and it was near impossible to choose our finalists from the creative and innovative work submitted.

‘The shortlist showcases excellence and recognises the enormous difference that nurses make to people’s lives throughout the UK.’