Huddersfield alumna is BJN Mental Health Nurse of the Year
Huddersfield graduate Jane Anderson has been named as Mental Health Nurse of the Year at the prestigious British Journal of Nursing Awards.
Jane graduated with a 1:1 in Nursing (Mental health) in 2015, and is currently an Advanced Clinical Practitioner at Leeds General Infirmary.
Her specialised work around mental health with patients with cancer of the head and neck, as well as those with head and neck traumas, saw her win the BJN award at their online ceremony in March.
Mental health issues are particularly pertinent in this field, with patients suffering from head or neck cancers five times more likely than the general population to take their own life, and twice as likely compared to other cancer patients.
“We need to bring physical and mental health onto the same playing field and look at them holistically,” says Jane. “That was the driver for me, although it has taken me completely out of my comfort zone.
“I wave my mental health flag all the time! Consultants see me as a really useful resource, and they know that I know my stuff. I’m hoping to present a paper this summer on suicidality in head and neck cancer patients, and I am actively involved in developing protocols and bespoke training for parts of the trust. I am encouraging inclusivity and a holistic approach with the patients.
“I’m incredibly flattered to win the award.”
Wind forward to around 47 minutes to see Jane's award and acceptance speech.
Jane followed her degree at Huddersfield with a Masters at the University of Leeds, but she credits where she achieved her BSc with setting her on the path that has led to her award-winning success.
“Huddersfield instilled in me some core values in nursing and mental health nursing,” she adds. “My time at Huddersfield was tremendous fun – I loved it! It was very encouraging, and the spirit in staff and my cohort was really positive.
“It really opened my eyes and instilled a thirst for knowledge. Evidence-based work and reading were encouraged, and it was easy because they have got great facilities. Huddersfield has such a beautiful campus – it’s a pleasure to be there and a nice, friendly and encouraging place to learn.”