Children’s community nurse wins national award

Fran Cedolin, a Community Children’s Nurse who works for Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin Community Hospitals NHS Group, has been awarded The Dame Elizabeth Fradd Memorial Prize for Outstanding Achievement as a Community Children’s Nurse Student.

This prestigious national award is presented annually in memory of Professor Dame Elizabeth Fradd DBE, a Fellow of the Queen's Institute of Community Nursing (QICN) and a hugely respected figure in children’s nursing. Dame Elizabeth trained as a children’s nurse and went on to serve in a wide range of roles including registered nurse, midwife and health visitor.

She later supported the nursing profession at a national level, becoming Deputy Chief Nursing Officer for England and Director of Nursing/Lead Director for reviews and inspections at the Commission for Health Improvement.

The award recognises the most outstanding student undertaking the Specialist Practice Qualification in Community Children’s Nursing at universities across England, Wales and

Northern Ireland. Fran’s achievement places her among the very best emerging community children’s nurses in the country.

Fran studied one year at Liverpool John Moore's University and is now part of a team of children's nurses who take care of acute (hospital), complex long term conditions and end of life care providing an on-call service to families.

Fran said: “I was overjoyed to hear the news that I had won. The award means a lot to me as it demonstrates my hard work and determination throughout the course. I am proud of myself as I feel that the award showcases my commitment to improving my skills and knowledge for the benefit of those I care for.”

Tash Grocott, Team Leader, Children’s Community Nurse, says: “Fran was an exceptional student on all levels, she achieved outstanding marks on her assessments and in particular excelled on her professional conversation in which she brought all aspects of the programme together to deliver excellent management of the case study presented.

“She was the highest achieving student of her cohort and was also extremely supportive to her fellow students and was a great contributor during class too.”

Paula Gardner, Interim Chief Nursing Officer, says: “We are absolutely thrilled for Fran. This award reflects her hard work, her compassion and the professionalism she brings to every family she supports. Fran has made an outstanding start to her career, and we are incredibly proud to have her in our team.”