A nurse who works at a children’s hospice has been named Nurse of the Year in the Nursing Times Awards.

Emma Bleasdale, perinatal team leader at Forget Me Not Children’s Hospice in Huddersfield , works with families and mums in the time immediately before or after the birth of their children.

She was delighted to have won the award.

“I’m absolutely thrilled, although it’s already a privilege to work with an amazing team in support of some truly extraordinary families.

“We care for these families at the most difficult times in their lives, ensuring they can experience precious moments and build the sort of memories the rest of us take for granted.

“I’m very grateful to Children in Need, and to our countless other supporters without whom these families would have to cope without hospice support. I’m very proud to be part of a dedicated team which does genuinely pioneering work on behalf of babies, children and families.”

Emma joined Forget Me Not in 2013 and was the first member of the nursing team to specialise in perinatal care, taking up a role funded for the past three years by BBC Children in Need.

She leads a team of seven perinatal nursing and care staff (including Europe’s first hospice-based midwife), which is in turn part of a broader team of 50 nurses, therapists and care assistants at the children’s hospice.

Her award “recognises an individual who has gone above and beyond what is expected of them in their day-to-day role,” according to Nursing Times.

West Yorkshire Forget Me Not Children's Hospice chief executive Peter Branson
West Yorkshire Forget Me Not Children's Hospice chief executive Peter Branson

Peter Branson, chief executive at Forget Me Not, said: “From the start, everyone here thought this award had Emma’s name all over it.

“She does a superb job and it’s worth noting that she was up against stiff competition from some huge private providers and hospital trusts right across England and Wales.

“In fact, we were the only hospice nominated for an award. Emma’s award recognises the importance of the perinatal work we do – acknowledging that a family’s journey begins well before a baby is born. Our perinatal service has attracted attention from around the world and I hope more and more hospices will start to offer these services as standard.”

Perinatal care covers families at any point from the 20-week pregnancy scan to one year post-delivery.

Emma’s team currently cares for 161 families, including those who are bereaved and those whose babies survived birth.

The Care Quality Commission rated Forget Me Not Children’s Hospice as ‘Outstanding’, putting it in the top one per cent of health and social care providers in the UK.