Rachel received the Queens Nursing Institute (QNI) award in recognition for her outstanding performance whilst completing a Specialist Community Public Health Nursing (SCPHN) Health Visitor programme at Northumbria University.
This academic prize is available at every university in England, Wales or Northern Ireland where the Specialist Community Public Health Nursing (SCPHN) Health Visitor programme is delivered, and programme leaders can nominate one outstanding student each year to receive the prize.
Jen Menzies is Assistant Professor for Nursing, Midwifery and Health and Programme Lead for Specialist Community Public Health Nursing (SCPHN) at Northumbria University. She nominated Rachel this year and said “Rachel has been a pleasure to teach and support from day one.
“She is committed and positive in her attitude to both work and study and has flourished gaining fabulous marks for an outstanding piece of work for her final assignment which she plans to take forward in her career in the 0-19 service. Rachel is a really special student in all respects.”
Outstanding commitment
Rachel’s accomplishments were duly recognised by the QNI and she was awarded the Dora Roylance Memorial Prize – an academic prize dedicated to outstanding students who have completed their SCPHN Health Visitor programme at a university in England, Wales or Northern Ireland.
Described as very hard working, having a positive influence on the work environment, Rachel is noted for taking time for informal supervision in office bases which supports the learning of the whole team.
Laura Togher, Clinical Educator for the 0-19 Service said “Rachel always completes her work to a very high standard and regularly makes valuable contributions to the team. She approaches her work extremely thoroughly, supporting babies, children and families through the delivery of the Healthy Child Programme with a positive, caring, compassionate attitudes.
“The SCPHN Apprenticeship is a Level 7 programme with lots of competing demands. Rachel was nominated for this award due to her excellent academic performance during the Apprenticeship programme and I have to say that we saw this excellence in the practice setting too.”
Rachel is very professional in her practice – I think we can all learn from her approach to teamwork, reflection and feedback. She really does deserve the recognition of this award
Laura Togher, Clinical Educator for Newcastle's 0-19 Service
Julie Howie is a Health Visitor who was Rachel’s practice supervisor and is now her preceptor. She describes Rachel as very professional, demonstrating excellent communication and interpersonal skills, building strong professional relationships.
“She is always engaging with families in a warm and sensitive manner, intuitive when searching for health need and developing a plan of care for children and families to support them to reach their full potential.”
Julis added how Rachel has grown in confidence developing her own caseload managing complexities with ease and confidence, using reflection and feedback to inform her practice.
“She is a valued and integral member of our team.”
Of Rachel’s QNI award Cheryl Teasdale, Associate Director for Nursing overseeing community nursing said “Congratulations to Rachel in her achievement as a Dora Rylance Award winner.
This recognition is well deserved and a testament to Rachel’s hard work, positive attitude to her studies and the contribution she has made to the children and families in Newcastle. Well done.
Cheryl Teasdale, Associate Director for Nursing
Meet our Award Winner Rachel Henshall
We spoke to Rachel to find out more about how she became a health visitor and how she feels about her award.
“Words can’t describe how I feel about it! I honestly feel so proud of myself. I put so much effort into the course – university study and practice – and for it to be recognised with an award is incredible. I couldn’t be happier.”
What it was that made you think about becoming a health visitor?
I had a two month placement with the health visiting team as a pre reg nursing student and knew from then that I had an interest in public health, in particular health visiting, and would eventually want to venture into it.
I went on to qualify as a nurse and worked on cardiothoracic intensive care, which I absolutely loved, and I stayed there for almost 9 years. I then felt ready for a change, and after having my own baby during the covid pandemic, I saw first-hand the impact that health visitors could have on families and knew this would be a role I would enjoy and hopefully be good at.
Even though it was completely different, I felt I had lots of transferable skills from my previous role that could be brought into health visiting. I saw the advert and went for it and felt extremely lucky to be accepted on a very competitive course.
How did you find your time as a student with Northumbria University – any highlights?
I’ve now graduated three times from Northumbria University within nursing and from my experiences I can’t fault it.
The SCPHN course was a tough 18 month apprenticeship but worth it to be where I am now.
The lecturers were always available and really supportive and the small group I trained with all supported each other throughout university and practice placements.
How would you describe your placements and did they help to strengthen your belief that health visiting was for you?
The 0-19 team in Newcastle is split into four localities and I rotated around three of those areas during training. This gave me a good overall view of the different needs across the city which I think definitely helps in my practice now.
As soon as I started in practice, I knew I had made the right decision to make the move into health visiting. Offering non-judgemental, individualised care is key for building relationships with families and as health visitors I feel we do this well in Newcastle.
We deliver key public health messages and offer early intervention to achieve the best outcomes for children and their families. I feel it’s a privilege to be welcomed into families homes at such a vulnerable time where parents could be facing many challenges, from the antenatal period and the transition to being a parent up until the child goes to school.
My supervisor and assessor were key to my success within practice. The knowledge and skill they have is inspirational and they always supported me to become the best health visitor I could be throughout my training, and this has continued into practice as a qualified health visitor.
And what do you think the future holds for you now – anything you are most looking forward to or any ambitions?
I’m very happy and settled in my current role and want to concentrate on continuing to build my knowledge and skill and continue to learn as much as I can to support families to the best of my ability.
In the future I may look into a specialist role within health visiting, but for now I’m very content with where I am.
The Dora Roylance Memorial Prize is for students of Specialist Health Visiting Programmes
This academic prize is available at every university in England, Wales or Northern Ireland where the Specialist Community Public Health Nursing (SCPHN) Health Visitor programme and programme leaders at each university may nominate one outstanding student to receive the prize each year.
The prize is available thanks to the generosity of a Queen’s Nurse, Dora Roylance, who passed away in 2016 at the age of 100. Dora left a legacy to the QNI creating this student award in her name.
Find out more about the Dora Roylance Memorial Prize.
