Judy Waterlow Jones Wins Prestigious Award

Main Category: Nursing / Midwifery
Article Date: 24 Dec 2008 - 0:00 PST

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The Nursing Times have named a retired clinical nurse teacher from Musgrove as one of the top ten of the most influential nurses of the last sixty years.

Judy Waterlow Jones, who lives in Henlade, now gives her time to Musgrove Park Hospital voluntarily, but before she retired in 1988 she was one of the Trust's clinical nurse teachers. The Nursing Times have named her as number ten in its list of 'Diamond 20' nurses, a list of the top twenty nurses nationally. Judy has been recognised primarily for her work in developing the Waterlow Pressure Ulcer Risk Assessment, a simple tool designed to help nurses and healthcare professionals assess the risk of patients developing pressure ulcers. Today it is still the most widely used assessment tool, used by nurses and clinicians on a daily basis across the country.

Judy received her award from Alistair McLellan, Editor of the Nursing times, at St Bartholomews Hospital in London the same week as she received an MBE from the Queen. She said, "It was a very busy and exciting week, I was so thrilled when I learnt that I had been recognised in this way. I developed the tool when I was working at Musgrove in the 1980s, which seems a long time ago now! I still work as a freelance lecturer in the UK and abroad, and am also delighted to be working as one of the Musgrove Partners since this means that I am still able to help and support the hospital that means so much to me."

Martine Price, Director of Nursing and Governance at Musgrove, said, "Judy has a wealth of knowledge and experience. We were all delighted to learn that she had been recognised in this way. Judy devotes so much of her time to this Trust as a member of our valuable Musgrove Partner team, a group of volunteers who work with us on projects and committees to help us to improve the patient experience."

Notes

Musgrove Park Hospital Taunton is part of Taunton and Somerset NHS Foundation Trust.

The hospital serves a population of 340,000 - primarily living in the area served by NHS South West. Each year almost 40,000 patients are admitted as emergencies; 10,000 patients are admitted for elective surgery; 26,000 are seen for day case surgery; 232,000 patients attend outpatient clinics; 48,000 attend Accident and Emergency, 170,000 diagnostic examinations take place and over 3000 babies are born in the Maternity Department. Almost 1000 patients are admitted to Critical Care each year.

Taunton and Somerset NHS Foundation Trust has an annual budget of £180 million. The hospital has over 700 beds, 30 wards, 15 operating theatres, a fully equipped diagnostic imaging department and employs 4,145 staff.

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Musgrove Park Hospital Taunton