4 November - Kidney transplant co-ordinator Sonia Clarke-Swaby from King’s College Hospital has been awarded one of five Mary Seacole awards at a ceremony held in London recently.
Sonia received a £6,250 award for her project to examine the attitudes of black and ethnic minority (BME) people towards organ donation.
The awards, funded by the Department of Health and NHS Employers, are made every year in honour of Mary Seacole’s leadership qualities, visionary approach to diversity and outstanding contribution to nursing.
Mary Seacole was born in Jamaica in 1805 and had considerable skills as a doctress and a nurse. During the Crimean war, she made a major contribution to nursing practice by helping wounded British soldiers, and demonstrating her commitment to inclusivity.
Sonia will use the money from the award to look at attitudes within the BME community towards organ donation. Sonia, whose role at King’s involves working with patients awaiting kidney transplants, is acutely aware of the importance of organ donation. She applied for the award after becoming increasingly concerned about the shortage of donors among BME communities. She said:
“I wanted to do something to raise awareness of organ donation amongst BME patients and their families. Organ donation can mean the difference between life and death, and I think we need to do more to maximise the likelihood of people within BME communities choosing to donate. This grant will enable me to look in detail at the social and cultural reasons that affect people’s decision to donate.”
Sonia joined King’s in 2001, when she started work as a nurse on the hospital’s renal unit. She became a recipient transplant co-ordinator in 2007.
Dr Geraldine Walters, Executive Director of Nursing and Midwifery at King’s, said:
“I am delighted Sonia’s commitment to raising awareness of organ donation among black and ethnic minorities has been recognised in this way. The Mary Seacole awards are widely respected not just within the nursing profession but healthcare as a whole, and I am confident Sonia will use the award to help improve the lives of patients at King’s and elsewhere.”
To find out more about the Mary Seacole awards, visit the Department of Health website at the following link:
http://www.dh.gov.uk/en/Aboutus/Chiefprofessionalofficers/Chiefnursingofficer/DH_074244
Notes to editors
1. For media enquiries only please contact:
Chris Rolfe, Corporate Communications,
King’s College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust.
Tel: 020 3299 3006, Fax: 020 3299 3207
e-mail: chris.rolfe@kch.nhs.uk
www.kch.nhs.uk
2. King’s College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust is one of the UK’s largest and busiest teaching hospitals, with over 6,600 staff providing around 800,000 patient contacts a year. King’s has a unique profile, with a full range of local hospital services for people in the London boroughs of Lambeth and Southwark as well as specialist services to patients from further afield. The Trust is recognized internationally for its work in liver disease and transplantation, neurosciences, cardiac and haemato-oncology. King’s also plays a key role in the training and education of medical, nursing and dental students with its academic partner, King’s College London. For more information, visit www.kch.nhs.uk
3. King’s College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust is part of King’s Health Partners Academic Health Sciences Centre (AHSC), a pioneering collaboration between King’s College London, and Guy’s and St Thomas’, King’s College Hospital and South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trusts.
King’s Health Partners is one of only five AHSCs in the UK and brings together an unrivalled range and depth of clinical and research expertise, spanning both physical and mental health. Our combined strengths will drive improvements in care for patients, allowing them to benefit from breakthroughs in medical science and receive leading edge treatment at the earliest possible opportunity.
For more information, visit www.kingshealthpartners.org
