Nottingham Nurse Receives Lifetime Achievement Award
A nurse who has conducted groundbreaking research in to end of life care has been recognised for her achievements at the International Journal of Palliative Nursing Awards (IJPN).
Professor Jane Seymour, from The University of Nottingham, was awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award at the IJPN which is run in collaboration with Macmillan Cancer Support.
The awards celebrate achievement and excellence in the work of nurses and other members of the multidisciplinary team in palliative care.
Professor Seymour spent much of her early career working in acute and critical care settings, and then conducted groundbreaking ethnographic research into how death and dying are constructed in these highly medicalised environments.
From 1994 she worked at the University of Sheffield as a researcher in palliative care, undertaking important studies on the role of clinical nurse specialists in palliative care, the history and development of pain management, and public understanding of end-of-life decision making.
She then moved to The University of Nottingham in 2005 to establish and lead the Sue Ryder Centre for Palliative and End of Life Care Studies. In less than 10 years she has developed a vibrant and lively research group with a strong emphasis on capacity building. In addition, she was one of the key leaders of the National Cancer Research Institute’s Cancer Experiences Collaborative, focusing on improving end-of-life care for older people.
Professor Seymour has been extremely influential in guiding end-of-life care policy development in the UK, for example by undertaking work with the former NHS End of Life Care Programme, Dying Matters, and the Commission for the Future of Hospice Care. She has published an impressive number of books, academic and professional papers, and is widely known as a compelling conference speaker. Her leadership and achievements in palliative nursing are world class.
Professor Seymour said: “I was greatly honoured to be given this award and accepted it on behalf of all the wonderful colleagues and students with whom I have worked over the years to try to improve palliative care and bring it to wider public and professional understanding.
“The University of Nottingham has been a fantastically supportive environment in which to develop Sue Ryder Care Centre, and I am deeply grateful for that support and for the generosity of the charitable family trust that has supported our work since 2005.”
Patrick Callaghan Head of the School of Health Sciences at The University of Nottingham, said: “It is fantastic that Jane has been recognised for her tremendous work in palliative care. She has been instrumental in developing the end-of-life care policy which will impact on the lives of patients and their carers for years to come. The award is truly deserved.”