Trust’s “Lady with the Lamp” awarded FNF scholarship

John Wills House Deputy Care Home Manager, Emily Pimm has been awarded a prestigious Florence Nightingale Foundation scholarship.

The twelve month programme will see Emily benefit from a series of leadership development opportunities tailored to her passion for caring for older people living with dementia.

Emily said: “A friend, who is a Florence Nightingale Foundation Scholar, told me about the scholarship and the more I looked into it, the more I realised what a great opportunity it was.

“I was interviewed by a panel last November where I gave a presentation on my quality improvement project and when I found out in February that I’d been successful, I was delighted.”

Improving residents' well-being

Emily’s Quality Improvement Project deals with improving the well-being of care home residents who experienced increased levels of loneliness and social isolation as a result of the pandemic.

“We will be looking at ways to make residents feel less isolated, by evidencing the positive impact that meaningful connections with family, friends, society, as well as personalised activity and stimulation, can have in improving our residents’ well-being.

“By providing me with a one-to-one mentor and going on leadership courses, the scholarship will give me the skills to develop the real-world application of my quality improvement project and ensure it has the maximum benefit on the lives of our residents.”

Emily has been supported throughout the application process by John Wills House Care Home Manager, Wendy Leaman: “I am thrilled that Emily has been awarded this scholarship.

"It is a great testimony to her passion for providing excellent, resident-focused care and the depth and quality of this project will have a huge impact on the daily lives of our residents.”

The Florence Nightingale Foundation

The Florence Nightingale Foundation (FNF) provides scholarships to post-graduate nurses, midwives and other health professionals in the United Kingdom.

The Foundation’s scholarships are designed to enhance the contribution of nursing and midwifery to society, promoting innovation in practice and improving patient care.

Deputy Director of the FNF Academy, Lucy Brown said: “The Florence Nightingale Foundation was established to leave a legacy and continue the great work of Florence Nightingale.

“We have been running scholarships since 1934 for the most talented and exceptional nurses and midwives from across the UK.

“Previous scholars include Ruth May, Sue Tranka, Charlotte McCardle to name a few. This is a life-changing opportunity which I am sure will transform Emily and her future career.”

Feeling valued

Emily has been a qualified nurse for sixteen years and joined the Trust six years ago. She said: “I’ve always believed that older people have the right to feel that they are valued and that they should have exactly the same opportunities as we all have.

“If successful at John Wills House, my hope is that we can roll the project out across the whole Trust and help influence future decision-making around isolating care home residents during future waves of Covid-19.”

“I’d like to thank the Florence Nightingale Foundation for giving me this wonderful opportunity and also the Captain Tom Foundation who are kindly sponsoring my scholarship.”