'Exceptional service' leads to national award nomination for Oldham nurse

An Oldham Council nurse has been shortlisted for a national nursing award for her incredible work supporting residents during the coronavirus pandemic.

Gloria Beckett, Lead Health Protection/Infection Prevention & Control Nurse, has received the recognition of reaching the final of the Infection Prevention Nurse of the Year category in the British Journal of Nursing Awards.

Taking a lead role in Oldham’s community infection prevention programme, Gloria (pictured) has spent the past year tackling challenges the coronavirus has brought.

Never complaining about the amount of work she has had to do, the council say Gloria has been delivering "exceptional service" supporting Oldham's care homes and wider community services, including schools.

She has made sure that care homes have had good access to Personal Protection Equipment (PPE) and testing, and that outbreaks are managed effectively. She has also initiated the undertaking of audits, prepared guidance for providers, and always found time to support other people.

Alongside the coronavirus response, Gloria has led on flu planning and helped to ensure that vaccines were delivered in every care home in the borough before the end of October.

Gloria said: “This has been a very tough year for all but especially for care homes. Their dedication and willingness to work in partnership in Oldham has made my Infection Prevention & Control role so much easier than it could have been. Building these working relationships, engendering mutual respect and trust has been so rewarding. Being able to support managers and businesses through the toughest times we have ever experienced has been a character building privilege.”

Katrina Stephens, Oldham's Director of Public Health, said: “Gloria has been invaluable all through her time with Oldham Council but never more so than in the past year. The work she’s being doing throughout the borough has been vital in making sure we provide exceptional care for Oldham’s residents.

“Not only has she proven herself to be a critical part of our Coronavirus response, she has also taken the time to share this best practice beyond Oldham, and she is highly respected within the borough and more widely across Greater Manchester. Reaching the BJN finals for this category is well deserved recognition of her work." 

Mike Barker, Strategic Director of Commissioning / Chief Operating Officer at Oldham Council and Oldham Clinical Commissioning Group, said: “This is thoroughly well deserved for Gloria. She’s a fantastic individual and Oldham is lucky to have her. We appreciate her work and wish her good luck in the final.”

A virtual ceremony will be held on Monday 8 March from 7pm, streamed from the BJN awards website, where the overall winner of the award will be announced.