The island’s healthcare service has been shortlisted for a nursing award for the second year in a row.

Manx Care’s preceptorship programme has been recognised in the ‘Preceptorship of the Year’ shortlist for the Nursing Times Workforce Awards.

The programme supports newly-qualified registered nurses and midwives through their first year of work during what Manx Care says can be a daunting time for staff.

The Manx Care scheme differs to similar ones run by the NHS in the UK as it encompasses all newly qualified staff as oppose to focussing on specific specialisms.

David Neilan, senior practice development nurse, has been leading the programme over the last 12 months, he said: ‘The fact we offer an integrated programme with colleagues from different specialisms maximises the learning opportunities they encounter during their first year ‘on the job’, and is especially reflective of the Island environment we live and work in which promotes opportunities for integrated care delivery.

‘The programme offers a really strong support mechanism for colleagues who are newly qualified and sometimes need that extra reassurance and guidance at such an early phase of their professional careers, and so it’s wonderful that this has been recognised for the second year running by such a prestigious title as the Nursing Times.’

The executive director of nursing and governance at Manx Care, Paul Moore, said: ‘I’m delighted that our team has been recognised in such a way. They fully deserve their shortlist, not least because of the dedication they have in ensuring our newly qualified colleagues have a strong support network around them that’s based on open discussion and shared experience.

We want our colleagues to feel valued and invested in, and the work of the practice development team does exactly that. Congratulations to everyone involved.’

Mr Neilan is supported by his practice development colleagues, Katie Sharpe, Emily Tate and Karen Smith.

The programme has been developed for the last five years with the healthcare service saying it ‘has resulted in a significant amount of success for participants in that time.’ It serves part of the services aim to retain staff as they seek to address a shortage in registered nurses.

Manx Care chief executive Teresa Cope recently spoke at the Isle of Man Government Conference about the need to fill 92 registered nursing positions at Noble’s Hospital, but said that the overall retention rate of staff was good.