News

The most outstanding and influential nurses were recognised at the celebration on Thursday 18 February 2010 in The Great Hall, St Bart's Hospital, London.

The Nursing Times Hall of Fame Awards recognise many exceptional nurses who are helping to transform the profession.

Specialist DebRA Nurse, Jackie Denyer won the award for Services to the Management of Long Term Conditions.

Jackie is widely recognised throughout the UK and Europe as a nursing expert in the management of epidermolysis bullosa, a rare genetic disorder that causes extremely fragile skin and recurrent blisters from minor friction or trauma. She is well-known for her dedication to the care of children with this condition, and has devoted her time to research into the condition and to developing new nursing approaches to EB care.

Jackie leads a small team of nurses dedicated to the care of children with EB, who visit children at home and run an outreach service for affected newborns, taking diagnostic skin biopsies and teaching dressing, feeding and handling techniques. She travels widely throughout the UK to visit, assess and recommend management strategies for patients, giving educational support to parents, carers and others such as local nurses. She works closely with DebRA, a charity which supports families affected by EB, and gives conference and poster presentations and writes widely for publication.

DebRA CEO Ben Merrett commented: "This is an outstanding achievement and a greatly deserved award. The DebRA Nursing team work tirelessly to help people with this horrific condition, and it is a delight that our most senior nurse has been recognised in this way."