We're delighted that our Education Programme Manager Gerri Mortimore and Yvonne Francis of Guys and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust have been selected as finalists in the British Journal of Nursing Awards 2021, for our venesection best practice project. 

This collaborative project brought together over 200 nurses and healthcare practitioners to define and promote clinical best practice for venesection, the most common treatment for genetic haemochromatosis.

The project previously won a national Patient Safety Learning Award and was finalist in the AbbVie Better Health awards in 2018. During 2020, we continued the project with the support of the Burdett Trust for Nursing.

Gerri Mortimore, Education Programme Manager said "I am absolutely delighted and honoured that this project has been shortlisted for the BJN award. Both Yvonne Francis and I, with support from HUK, spent over two years compiling data to develop a Venesection Best Practice guide for the UK, where no such provision previously existed. This will help countless thousands of patients and healthcare professionals across the globe."

"We'd also like to thank the 200 or so nurses and healthcare practitioners from across the UK and Ireland whose valuable input helped develop these guidelines for venesection and increase the standards of best practice and care." said Yvonne Francis, Haematology CNS Guys and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust/ Faculty development lead, Guys Cancer Academy

Haemochromatosis UK CEO Neil McClements said "We'd also like to find the Royal College of Nursing and the genetic hemochromatosis community for all of their support and encouragement. We look forward to the awards ceremony in March!"

The awards winners will be announced at a virtual ceremony on 8th March.

Our free venesection resources are available for download here : https://www.haemochromatosis.org.uk/venesection-best-practice