Daniel Daka was named Oxleas Nurse of the Year 2013 at our annual Nursing Conference in front of over 200 colleagues from across our services today.
Daniel, who is Acting Unit Manager at Ivy Willis CRU, was recognised for the excellent job he has done acting up into this role over the last year and the service improvements he has championed on the unit. Ivy Willis CRU is a closed rehabilitation unit for people with severe and enduring complex mental health needs in Bromley.
Daniel oversaw the introduction of the Productive ward series, a set of tools to help services in the NHS improve efficiency and streamline the way they work, and has encouraged and motivated staff to implement their ideas. This has included introducing a support group for healthcare assistants across the unit to share best practice and support each other in their work and trialling a ‘search wand’ to help eliminate people from bringing alcohol and drugs and other prohibited substances into the unit.
Daniel , who received a prize of £500, said: "I've been working at Ivy Willis for the last 10 years. For me the path to progression has always been about driving quality and the patient experience. It was really a team effort. The most important thing for us is what we are doing for our patients."
In addition to the Nurse of the Year award, awards were also presented for nursing excellence, safety, patient experience and an award for student nurse mentors sponsored by the University of Greenwich. The awards recognise and reward individual nurses who have made significant contributions to nursing practice over the past year. The following category winners received £250 and runners up received £100.
Winner: Maz Marsham, Clinical Lead for Health Access and Queens Nurse, Adult Learning Disability Services
Runner up: Debra Owen, Staff Nurse, Older People’s Mental Health Services
Winner: Nina Turner, Senior Nurse, Forensic and Prison Services
Runner up: TB Team, Adult Community Services
Winner: Atherly Gilgeous, Bromley Crisis Resolution and Home Treatment Team, Adult Mental Health Services
Runner up: Sally Wilson, STAR Worker, Forensic and Prison Services
Winner: Stacey Blackford, Charge Nurse, Older People's Mental Health Services
Runner up: Nicole Gombera, Clinical Charge Nurse, Adult Mental Health Services
Staff who attended today’s nursing conference at Charlton Athletic Football Club, heard from guest speakers: