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Twenty-five year old Fern Glenister from Bedford has been shortlisted for the Student Nurse of the Year in Mental Health and Student Innovation in Practice awards in this year’s .

“I feel very honoured to have been shortlisted and I’m really humbled that my lecturers and mentors had such faith in me to put me forward. With everything that is going on in the NHS at the moment, it can be easy to feel a bit deflated but this has reinforced my passion for nursing,” said Fern, who is in her third year of a Mental Health Nursing degree.

Fern was nominated for the Student Innovation in Practice award for her work while on placement at East London NHS Foundation Trust (ELFT), which provides mental health services to the city of London, Hackney, Newham, Tower Hamlets, Bedfordshire and Luton.

While working alongside ELFT’s Child & Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) while on placement in a Community Mental Health Team, she put forward a proposal to give young service users a smooth transition into adult services by providing them with a dedicated transition support worker.

With the help of colleagues, Fern also ran a support group for young service users called Striving Forward, aimed at helping them with their recovery.

“It is nice to be acknowledged for my work at ELFT but I couldn’t have done it without the support of my lecturers, supervisors, colleagues, and of course, the service users themselves,” said Fern.

Fern’s tutor, Senior Lecturer in Mental Health Nursing Jo Sale said: “Fern has shown herself to be an effective change agent and has inspired her qualified colleagues by her leadership and motivation in initiating change. She is an excellent role model to other students in her role as a peer mentor. She has also led a group of fellow students as they teach adult student nurses about mental illness and stigma. We wish Fern well in both awards.”    

Fern will find out if she has won her awards at an awards ceremony at the London Hilton on Park Lane on Thursday 26 April.