Nurse Lisa Wilson from Batemans Bay Hospital has been named the winner of the Judith Meppem Leadership Award in the NSW Health Excellence in Nursing and Midwifery Awards.
The award highlights an outstanding nursing and midwifery leader who continually exhibits excellence in leadership, focusing on values of teamwork, innovation, service, quality, compassion and integrity.
Lisa was one of four finalists for the Judith Meppem Leadership Award, and the only finalist from southern NSW in the Excellence in Nursing and Midwifery Awards.
She took care of patients and ensured staff were supported during the catastrophic bush fires in Batemans Bay on New Year’s Day.
At the time of the nomination, acting director of nursing and midwifery Judy Ryall said the Southern NSW Local Health District was very proud to have one of its own nurses named as a finalist for the Judith Meppem Leadership Award.
Lisa was brought to tears upon reading her nomination.
“It’s not just about me, this was about the team. We did look after vulnerable, unwell and stranded people [on New Year’s Eve], but together we did it as a team,” Lisa said.
The other Judith Meppem Leadership Award finalists included Andrew Ingleton from Sydney’s Public Health Unit; Monica Dale from the Emergency Disaster Team in Illawarra/Shoalhaven and Poumansing (Raj) Gujraz from Fairfield Hospital in South Western Sydney.
The Excellence in Nursing and Midwifery Awards are held each year to acknowledge nurses and midwives for outstanding clinical practice, leadership and dedication to their profession and the people they care for.
Everyone was invited to watch this year’s awards, which took place virtually at 2 pm on Thursday, 26 November, on the NSW Health website.
The awards show featured all finalists and winners for the seven awards in 2020:
- Nursing/Midwifery Team of the Year.
- New to Practice Nurse/Midwife of the Year.
- Midwife of the Year.
- Nurse of the Year.
- Aboriginal Nurse/Midwife of the Year.
- The Judith Meppem Leadership Award.
- The consumer-voted Healing Heart Award for exceptional care (Nursing/Midwifery).
“This is the International Year of the Nurse and the Midwife,” said NSW chief nursing and midwifery officer Jacqui Cross. “It has been a year like no other where the contribution of nurses and midwives has been highlighted during our response to COVID-19.
“If there was ever a time to pause and celebrate the 53,000 nurses and midwives of NSW – who make up more than 50 per cent of the state’s public health workforce – it is now.”