Tag: Edinburgh Napier University

Napier academics help bring home schooling to the small screen

Science practicals filmed for Education Scotland and BBC Bitesize offering

Academics from Edinburgh Napier’s teacher education programme have been helping bring science into the home for thousands of secondary school pupils in Scotland.

The University’s Dr Colin McGill (above), Dr Fiona Savage and Dr Eric Easton have worked with Education Scotland and the BBC Bitesize team to film a number of practical experiments to ensure that pupils studying science subjects continue to learn as lockdown restrictions remain in place. 

Work with Education Scotland commenced last Autumn, with a selection of practical experiments filmed within the laboratories at Edinburgh Napier’s Sighthill campus.

These films – which saw the team work with Ian Stewart, a Chemistry teacher from Beeslack Community High School in Midlothian – are available via YouTube, West OS and Glow – Scotland’s nationally available digital environment for learning – as part of the National e-Learning Offer (NeLO).

In addition to supporting the development of these films for NeLO, Ian also teaches on the Senior Phase Study Support programme run via e-Sgoil for NeLO.

The content covered in the videos is broad, ranging from general science activities such as making a pH indicator from red cabbage for S1-S3 pupils, to videos to support learning at National 5 and Higher Chemistry such as measuring the average rate of a chemical reaction and testing carbonyl compound. 

Dr McGill has also recently completed further filming for the BBC Bitesize platform. 

Filmed over three days again at the University’s Sighthill campus, Dr McGill teamed up with Education Scotland and Ian Stewart to devise around 30 – 40 video ideas for Chemistry and the sciences.

This content was aimed at the Broad General Education (BGE) sciences curriculum all the way up to Higher Chemistry and included demonstrations on testing for gases, electrolysis and cracking alkanes. The BBC Bitesize filming was co-ordinated by Education Scotland.

Edinburgh Napier’s Dr McGill was delighted to play a part in supporting teachers through the on-going pandemic. He said: “I think these tools are very important to help pupil learning during the pandemic.

“It’s impossible for many practical activities to be done remotely so this at least gives pupils an opportunity to see the practical activity taking place and to then apply their learning from watching the activity.

“Teachers have been amazing during this pandemic and I would argue that the work they have put in to support their pupils is hugely underestimated, so if these videos have gone some way to help reduce their workload in any way then that is a huge positive for me. 

“If and when things start getting closer to normal, these videos will still be very valuable for pupils to go over a practical that they carried out in class, or to support pupils who are absent from school for any reason.

“The technical support from Bill Surrage and Sandra Dunbar has allowed this practical work to take place – I’m really grateful to them for the support they have provided. I’m also really grateful to everyone that has made safe access to the Sighthill campus possible.”

A selection of the Education Scotland videos can be viewed on YouTube here or can be accessed via the NeLO supported resources blog.

Edinburgh Napier’s Professional Diploma in Education (PGDE) courses are designed by teachers, for teachers. The programme specialises in Biology, Chemistry, Maths or Physics, allowing students to become a secondary school teacher.

Each subject is accredited by the General Teaching Council for Scotland. 

More information on the programme can be found here.

New scholarship for civil engineering students

BEAR Scotland honour the memory of former chairman by supporting new industry talent

Road maintenance giants BEAR Scotland have launched a scholarship for civil engineering students at Edinburgh Napier University in memory of former chairman Bill Taylor.

From academic year 2021/22 onwards, the Bill Taylor Scholarship (BEAR Scotland) will provide £3400 to support an undergraduate through the latter years of their degree.

Mr Taylor (above), who passed away in 2016, had been involved in the management and maintenance of the Scottish trunk road network for 20 years.

The scholarship in his name will be open to students pursuing MEng and BEng (Master and Bachelor) civil engineering courses at the University. Students will be eligible to apply during their second year, with the award confirmed upon successful entry into year three.

Applications will be reviewed by a University panel, who will consider each individual’s academic ability, background and financial needs, with BEAR Scotland then interviewing the shortlisted candidates before making the final selection.

As well as financial support, the scholarship will see each year’s successful student offered work placements and a place on BEAR Scotland’s graduate training programme after completion of their degree. BEAR Scotland will also continue to support the University’s careers events and its wider work placement programme.

Mark Godsell, BEAR Scotland Commercial Director, said: “We have longstanding links with Edinburgh Napier University and have a number of its alumni in our ranks.

“It is a good partnership that works well for both parties. Students get practical work experience and also potential to enter and progress within the highways industry. We get a pipeline of strong talent into our teams.

“The new Bill Taylor Scholarship cements that relationship further, allowing us to extend our support to an Edinburgh Napier undergraduate to let them fulfil their potential as they complete their degree programme and transition into their career.

“We are committed to investing in future talent. It will be great to award the first recipient in September and get to know them initially through work experience and then as they join us as a graduate.”

Bradley Doran, Graduate Engineer BEAR Scotland, undertook a work experience summer placement at BEAR Scotland between his third and fourth year while studying at Edinburgh Napier before joining the company and then getting involved in the graduate programme.

He said: “The work experience was great – it was a major reason I applied to BEAR when I graduated. The graduate programme is good because you get to see a project right through from beginning to end – from investigation, through to design and then construction. You get a wide experience and you aren’t pigeon-holed so it stands you in good stead for your Institution of Civil Engineers attributes.”

Dr Andrew Maciver, BEng/MEng Programme Leader at Edinburgh Napier, said: “The Bill Taylor Scholarship offers fantastic opportunities for our Civil and Transportation Engineering students to be supported by BEAR Scotland while studying for their degree and gaining valuable work experience before joining their graduate training programme after graduation.

“We are thrilled to be further strengthening our partnership.”

Bill Taylor had been with BEAR Scotland for 13 years prior to his death following a battle with a long-term illness, holding the positions of operations director, managing director and chairman.

He had earlier served as general manager of the Tay Premium Unit and as unit manager with Amey in the south-east.

Shedding light on the condemned witches who were actually healers

RCN Foundation funds historical research project

The RCN Foundation has funded a history of nursing research project to document the stories of nurses and midwives accused of witchcraft in Scotland, as part of its programme of work to celebrate the International Year of the Nurse and Midwife.

The Foundation has awarded a Monica Baly Education Grant to a team of researchers from Edinburgh Napier University to investigate almost 150 witches recorded on the Survey of Scottish Witchcraft as being folk healers and midwives. 

The team from the Nursing and Midwifery Subject Groups in the School of Health and Social Care, comprising of Dr Nicola Ring, Nessa McHugh and Rachel Davidson-Welch, will investigate the stories of these individual nurses and midwives, documenting who they were, and reflecting on their practices from today’s healthcare perspective. 

Scotland’s Witchcraft Act was introduced in 1563 and remained law until 1736. During that time nearly 4,000 people, mainly women, were accused of witchcraft.

The accused were imprisoned and brutally tortured until they confessed their guilt – often naming other ‘witches’ in their confessions.  Most of those accused are thought to have been executed as witches, being strangled and then burned at the stake, leaving no body for burial. 

People were accused of being witches for many reasons- some were mentally ill, some had land and money others wanted. However, many of those accused and executed as being ‘witches’ were guilty of nothing more than helping to care for others during sickness and childbirth – they were early practitioners of midwifery and nursing. 

Dr Nicola Ring said: “I am delighted we have been awarded funding from the RCN Foundation to investigate this over-looked part of nursing history.  Telling the stories of these Scottish women and men cruelly and unfairly accused and punished for helping the sick and women in childbirth highlights the injustices these people faced. 

“It supports Claire Mitchell QC and Zoe Venditozzi in their ‘Witches of Scotland’ campaign, which seeks posthumous justice – a pardon for those convicted of witchcraft, an apology for all those accused, and a national memorial dedicated to their memory.” 

Deepa Korea, Director of the RCN Foundation, said: “We are very pleased to fund this project as part of our programme of work to mark the International Year of the Nurse and Midwife.

“This is an important project which will not only document the experiences of these early nurses and midwives and the injustices they faced but provide a fresh look at the early role and perceptions of nursing and midwifery, prior to the accepted Victorian archetype.”

Claire Mitchell QC said: “Zoe Venditozzi and I (Witches of Scotland) are delighted that this work is being done to investigate and record the history of Scottish women and, in particular, those who were caught up in witchcraft allegations.

“We know from our research that some of the women and men were healers – involved in folk medicine and early midwifery – who were prosecuted for witchcraft and paid with their life.   This work shedding a light on this tragic history is important.”

Entrepreneurs in Residence to share their expertise with staff and students

Double appointment under Royal Society scheme will reinforce Napier University’s enterprise culture

Edinburgh Napier University has announced two Entrepreneur in Residence appointments through The Royal Society-funded programme aimed at helping UK academic institutions turn world-leading research and ideas into commercial impact and success.

The newly appointed Entrepreneurs in Residence will spend 20 per cent of their time over a 12-month period with the university, sharing their experiences and helping to mentor, inspire and support students and academics with entrepreneurial goals and ideas.

The entrepreneurs appointed at Edinburgh Napier are Dr Jamie Graves and Robert Goodfellow. The University of Dundee, with one place, is the only other institution in Scotland represented on the newly published list of 16 entrepreneurs awarded a place on the scheme for 2021.

Dr Jamie Graves, who started his career as a research fellow in Edinburgh Napier’s School of Computing and went on to found and develop multi-award winning cyber security start-up ZoneFox, will bring his experiences of developing intellectual property to commercial impact to the School of Computing.

Jamie said: “The purpose of this EIR project is to aid Edinburgh Napier in its ambitions to replicate existing spin-out and commercialisation success in its Centre of Cyber Systems & Cryptography. The work will promote and emulate this success across the School of Computing.

“The project will aim to build a sustainable pipeline of entrepreneurs across all academic cohorts via a series of awareness and training events in order to increase commercial activity. 

“Edinburgh Napier was the launch pad for me and my future successes so to be coming back as an Entrepreneur in Residence is really exciting and a great honour. I’m looking forward to being able to bring back some of the lessons I learned during my journey but also learning more during this new experience.”

Robert Goodfellow, previously Head of Enterprise & Business Development at Heriot-Watt University, will be working closely with the School of Applied Sciences to pass on his knowledge and help with entrepreneurial development.

Robert said: “The Edinburgh Napier Applied Sciences Commercialisation and Entrepreneurism Training project (NASCENT) will identify and commercialise health and wellbeing intellectual property rights, develop new staff and student entrepreneurs and build a lasting ‘commercial culture’ across the three campuses.”

Commenting on the appointments, Fiona Mason, Head of Business Engagement and IP Commercialisation, said: “We are thrilled by the Royal Society’s support for the appointment of these two Entrepreneur in Residence posts.

“They will bring invaluable insight and experience to the university to the benefit of our staff and students.

 “We are honoured to work alongside two such stellar and seasoned entrepreneurs and look forward to develop with them a successful programme for the future.”

Nick Fannin, Head of Enterprise at Edinburgh Napier’s Bright Red Triangle, who have helped support over 400 student start-ups, added: “We are really excited to be working with Jamie and Robert as Entrepreneurs in Residence this year.

“Their knowledge and experience will not only energise and inspire entrepreneurial activity across the university but also help our spin-outs and start-ups to take their businesses to the next level.”

ACE: GCHQ recognition for University’s cyber security work

Edinburgh Napier named an Academic Centre of Excellence in new Government programme

Edinburgh Napier University is among the first in the UK to be recognised for its commitment to cyber security education under a new initiative from the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) – a part of GCHQ.

It is one of eight institutions named an Academic Centre of Excellence in Cyber Security Education (ACE-CSE) for delivering first-rate cyber security education on campus and promoting cyber skills in the community.

Edinburgh Napier was recognised with the initiative’s Silver award for its ambitious vision in the field.

The University already has NCSC-certified undergraduate and postgraduate programmes – BEng Cybersecurity and Forensics, and MSc Advanced Security and Digital Forensics – which underlines the value of the qualifications, and helps to attract high quality students from around the world.    

The newly-announced NCSC accolade will now see cyber security integrated into programmes across the wider university, and greater emphasis on engagement with external stakeholders.

Professor Bill Buchanan, from Edinburgh Napier’s School of Computing, said: “The work of the NCSC is key to the development of excellence in cyber security education and knowledge exchange. These new ACEs will not only work within their own university departments, but also spread cyber security collaboration across their institution.

“Moreover, they will support a core collaborative foundation around cyber security education and knowledge exchange within each of their geographical areas. This includes working with industry, the public sector, government agencies, colleges, and so on.

“It is hoped that the ACEs-CSE will develop as trusted fundamental building blocks for a safe, secure, resilient and enterprising country. The days of silos of knowledge have passed, and we all need to work together and share our knowledge.”

The ACE-CSE programme, led by the NCSC and the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, also recognised Abertay, Lancaster, Southampton, South Wales, Surrey, Warwick and the West of England universities in this first round of applications.

Chris Ensor, NCSC Deputy Director for Cyber Growth, said: “I am delighted we can now recognise the first tranche of universities as Academic Centres of Excellence in Cyber Security Education, complementing our existing programmes which recognise high quality cyber security research and degree courses.

“It is a testament to the continual efforts of academics, support staff and senior management that cyber security remains high on their agenda.

“We very much look forward to working with them over the coming years and strongly encourage other universities to work towards achieving similar recognition in the future.”

Digital Infrastructure Minister Matt Warman said: “The UK has some of the brightest minds in the world working in tech and it’s right we celebrate universities where so many people develop relevant and cutting-edge skills.

“We continue to work closely with academia to nurture the next generation of cyber security talent and I urge interested education institutions to apply for this recognition.”

Student nurses return to the frontline

University’s School of Health & Social Care supports testing programme

Scores of Edinburgh Napier nurses and midwives have again rallied behind the national drive to combat Covid-19 by signing up to assist with the asymptomatic testing programme for students.

Around 100 are working at two testing sites in the city between November 30 and December 9, helping their fellow students in the capital make informed decisions about returning home for Christmas and minimising the risk of spreading the virus.

Covid-19 ‘rapid’ tests, available on a voluntary basis, are taking place at University of Edinburgh sites at The Pleasance Sports Complex and St Leonard’s Land. It is recommended that Edinburgh-based students with no symptoms book themselves in for two tests, between three and five days apart.

Students from Edinburgh Napier’s School of Health & Social Care leapt at the chance to assist with the test programme in a non-clinical role, with more than 400 responding to the call for help.

This was narrowed down to around 100, who are covering various shift patterns across the two sites, talking students through the process and providing support and encouragement.

Many of the same students were among 1000 from the School who earlier took up placements alongside NHS workers in hospitals and care homes at the height of the pandemic in the spring.

Marianne Mearns, 30, a final year BN Child Health Nursing student from Livingston, (above) said: “It is an amazing yet scary time to be a student nurse, but I feel proud to be one of the many supporting the university and the NHS during the pandemic.

“Keeping people safe is paramount, and assisting with the testing is a new challenge I am excited to be part of.

“I also undertook an NHS placement at the height of the pandemic and had to stay in a hotel temporarily to protect my fiance who was shielding at the time. It was very challenging but I feel I coped well and it has made me a more competent and confident student nurse going forward.”

Professor Alison Machin, Dean of the School of Health & Social Care, said: “These are challenging times, but I am very proud of our students’ enthusiasm and willingness to apply their skills and get involved. 

“The lessons they learn will stand them in good stead for the rest of their careers.”

Michelle O’Reilly, lecturer in the School of Health & Social Care, said: “This is an experience we are all delighted to be involved in, with our students from across nursing and midwifery demonstrating excellent professional and interpersonal skills in helping to reduce the anxiety of fellow students getting the test.”

Universities and colleges are utilising lateral flow devices (LFDs) – a clinically validated swab antigen test that does not require a laboratory for processing and can produce rapid results within half an hour at the location of the test.

Students will be offered two LFD tests, spaced three days apart which are bookable through their college or university. Those receiving two negative results will be encouraged to safely return home as soon as is practical after the second result.

If either of the lateral flow tests returns a positive result, the student will be asked to self-isolate and undertake a confirmatory polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test through the usual NHS Test & Protect channels.

Napier students launch products at Scottish Design Exchange

Products will be on sale at George Street store in run-up to Christmas

Design students from Edinburgh Napier University will have their products on sale to the public in the lead-up to Christmas thanks to a link-up with a social enterprise that champions local creative talent.

The Scottish Design Exchange – which has two stores in Edinburgh and Glasgow – has offered the students the chance to create and sell their own designs – commission free – at its George Street store in the Scottish capital.

The organisation sells exquisitely designed products by artists living in Scotland. Every penny spent by its customers goes directly to those who create. This festive period, its Edinburgh store will welcome works from a number of Edinburgh Napier students.

Two students’ products are already available in the outlet – third year product design student Melissa Halliday’s range of unique totes bags and face masks printed from original acrylic prints and second year product design student Sara Kloszinska’s original illustrations inspired by nature.

They will soon be followed by work from three fourth year graphic design students – Rory Bain, Dan Brady and Yusra Quereshi.

This link-up is the latest development in the partnership between the University and the Scottish Design Exchange.

After first coming together during the Edinburgh Napier Creative City Challenge in 2017, the product sale has been led by Scottish Design Exchange’s Lynzi Leroy, with the University’s Design Society visiting the George St store, and working with Leith-based Bare Branding, as part of the research and product design phases of the project. 

Lynzi Leroy of Scottish Design Exchange said: “I am delighted to be working on this project with Edinburgh Napier to help the product design and graphic design students gain experience in selling their products in a retail environment.

“It is a vital that part of their learning includes how to price their products and get customer feedback. Working with the Scottish Design Exchange team, we will help them do just that. There is no better learning process than selling or not selling a product. This teaches you how to adapt and change your design or pricing if required, before taking it to a wider market.”

Claire Bee, employer engagement partner at Edinburgh Napier, said: “Edinburgh Napier is delighted to be working in partnership with Scottish Design Exchange to showcase the creativity and talent of our students.

“The generosity of Scottish Design Exchange has given our students the unique opportunity to showcase their creativity, develop entrepreneurial skills, sell their products, and put their learning into practice.”

Rachel’s degree project gets international exposure

Sustainable living app showcased at Global Grad Show

Edinburgh Napier product design graduate Rachel Naysmith has won international recognition for a project which rewards good environmental deeds and helps combat climate anxiety.

M.O.S.S. – My Own Sustainable Self – has been selected for the Global Grad Show, an initiative by the Art Dubai Group which showcases 100 potentially world-changing ideas.

The newly-opened exhibition, normally in Dubai but being held online this year, attracted 1,600 applications from 270 universities in 60 countries.

Rachel’s work, and that of three Glasgow-based students, features alongside ideas like a diabetes monitoring earring, a London Underground air pollution solution, an alternative to Styrofoam made of food waste, a Sudden Infant Death Syndrome prevention device and a skin patch that monitors nutrition data.

Rachel, 23, of Insch, Aberdeenshire, developed M.O.S.S. as her major project on her way to a first class B Des (Hons) Edinburgh Napier degree and the 2020 Class Medal, and she was encouraged to enter the Global Grad Show after her work was spotted on Instagram.

The project appears at the interactive online show under the category, “Coping in a complex world: Supporting mental health in challenging online and offline environments”.

M.O.S.S. recognises that people doing their best to follow environmentally-friendly lifestyles can easily become disheartened and feel their personal initiatives count for little when set against the catastrophes which play out on the news.

However, the app-based project keeps motivation levels high by providing targets and allowing users to keep tabs on their own sustainable efforts, and it rewards the achievement of goals with a M.O.S.S. panel housing a mini ecosystem which can be attached to the outside of any building.

“A one metre squared area of moss produces the same amount of oxygen as 78 trees,” said Rachel. “You are not only provided with a visual representation of your efforts but you also help purify the air, reducing air pollution one M.O.S.S. panel at a time.”

She added: “I am very proud of the project and also proud to be one of the first four graduates from Scotland to be represented on this international platform.”

Global Grad Show was launched in 2015 as an exhibition of impact-driven designs from 10 universities, but has grown quickly.

Tadeu Baldani Caravieri, director of Global Grad Show, said: “The diversity of the community of young talented researchers we bring together at Global Grad Show has many facets: they span across six continents, institutions from Ivy League to regional colleges and disciplines from bioengineering through to architecture.

“They do have however, a reassuring common denominator: they investigate problems, social and environmental, that matter for everyone.

“Today we present 100 projects that are, in essence, alternatives and remedies put forward by our global community of graduates whose ambition is to create a future-ready world.”

£300k for research project on ex-Service personnel living in Scotland

Forces in Mind Trust (FiMT) has awarded £300,000 to the University of Edinburgh, in partnership with Edinburgh Napier, to conduct new research into the experiences of ex-Service personnel living in Scotland.

Dr Gerri Matthews-Smith, from Napier’s Business School, will be the research lead on the study.

The project, entitled You’re in Your Own Time Now, will address the current lack of up-to-date and in-depth data on ex-Service personnel in Scotland.

It will map the distribution of Service leavers across Scotland and seek to understand their aspirations, concerns and support needs when leaving the Armed Forces. It will examine a range of outcomes for Service leavers including education, housing, employment, health, and finances. 

Line up of saluting members of armed forces - one RAF, one soldier, one sailor

The project team will also undertake qualitative research with organisations that provide support to Service leavers in Scotland, as well as research with Service leavers themselves.

The findings of this study will be disseminated widely to both the UK and Scottish Governments, as well as the third sector, to help inform them about the changing landscape of Service leavers’ needs in Scotland and the resources required to support them.

The project is expected to start in mid-November 2020 and will be conducted over two years.

Dr Gerri Matthews-Smith, University lead for Military Research, Edinburgh Napier University, said: “I look forward to accurately representing the voices and perceptions of military personnel here in Scotland. This is a practice-based study with a real Scottish focus that will have a positive impact on the military community.

“At Edinburgh Napier University, we have a proud history of supporting the military, including through high-level research projects focusing on military families, and on developing a better understanding of PTSD in service personnel and its potential treatments. This latest study will deepen our knowledge and further strengthen those armed forces links.”

Ray Lock, Chief Executive, Forces in Mind Trust, said: “FiMT’s goal is to enable successful and sustainable transition for ex-Service personnel and their families across the UK.

“To be able to do this we must first acknowledge and understand the differences in each of the devolved nations, including in the organisation and delivery of support, and how these can impact upon the experiences of Service leavers as they transition out of the Armed Forces.

“The report will complement our studies in Northern Ireland, and we continue to work with the Welsh Government to understand their evidential needs.

“This exciting project will provide policy makers, service providers and local authorities with the evidence they need to be able to make informed decisions and implement effective interventions to support the ex-Service personnel who choose to settle in Scotland.”

Doug Mackay, Project Director, University of Edinburgh, said: “I am very grateful to Forces in Mind Trust for their generous support and delighted to be working on this project in partnership with Edinburgh Napier University, which already does so much to support the wider military community.

“The University of Edinburgh’s Data Driven Innovation initiative is focused on improving many aspects of society by harnessing the power of big data. This project is all about ensuring that servicemen and women, and their families – many of whom have made considerable sacrifices and are now returning to civilian communities – are included, and given the help they need as they make that transition.”

‘It was my gloved hand dying patients were holding’

Caring Joanna wins University’s Simon Pullin Award

AN award-winning student nurse has told how the experience of being thrust into the Covid-19 frontline lifted her caring skills to new levels.

Joanna MacDonald was on a placement in the emergency department at Borders General Hospital at the height of the pandemic.

The Edinburgh Napier student, the newly-announced winner of the University’s Simon Pullin Award for 2020, said: “My compassionate caring skills were vital in a period when families and carers were not allowed into the department.

“On numerous occasions it was my gloved hand these patients were holding and not their families whilst they were seriously unwell or dying.

“At times I found the role overwhelming but I soon grew into it and made an active effort to do all that I could to ensure the patients experienced my compassionate care at such an important time.”

The Simon Pullin Award was established to recognise the human side of nursing and midwifery. It was created in memory of Senior Nurse Simon Pullin, who played a key role in the University’s Compassionate Care Programme up until his death from cancer in July 2011.

Joanna, 32, from Haddington, who graduated this week with a Bachelor of Nursing (Adult) degree, was named this year’s winner after impressing university and external assessors with a sensitively written submission about her experiences.

They said it highlighted her ability to provide compassionate care and work to a highly professional standard regardless of the clinical situation or workload pressures.

Joanna, who studied for her degree while bringing up daughters Poppy (9) and Flora (5), also wrote about her earlier work in the acute medical unit at the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh.

She said: “I always made time for the small things such as ensuring the elderly men would have a shave and be in matching pyjamas or clothes for the morning visiting. Or that the elderly ladies had their hair combed the way they liked it and a spritz of perfume too!”

A placement within the hospital’s day surgery unit brought her into contact with patients who were having pregnancies terminated or treatment for cancer, and she also worked elsewhere on a palliative care ward for patients nearing the end of their lives.

Joanna said: “Ensuring that each of the patients in my care had a dignified and comfortable death was important to me.”

Joanna, who has just taken up a post as a staff nurse at the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh, said she was honoured and proud to be named this year’s winner of the Simon Pullin Award.

“Care and compassion are important aspects of the NHS values and something I am always mindful of upholding with the patients in my care. Reflecting on my journey in gaining these skills was a proud moment too to see how far I have come in the past few years.”

Dr Stephen Smith, a senior lecturer at the university and Honorary Nurse Consultant in Compassionate Care with NHS Lothian, said: “Joanna received exceptional feedback from staff in clinical practice and staff in the university.

“All the feedback pointed to core learning and development in the provision of compassionate care, very particularly knowing that it is the seemingly small things that matter to each individual.”

Dr Alison Wood, Joanna’s Personal Development Tutor at the University, added: “Despite all the challenges due to Covid-19, Joanna has maintained her focus on patient-centred and compassionate care – I am delighted she has secured her first qualified staff nurse post and will be able to continue to provide compassionate care in her new role.”