A STAFF nurse from the North-East has picked up the 'rising star' award at this year's Nursing Times Awards in London.

Kim Barstow, who has been a registered nurse for three years, won the award in recognition of all the work she has done to improve care for dementia patients at The James Cook University Hospital.

Kim led the way in putting into practice the Alzheimer's Society's "This Is Me" initiative on the ward which pulls together information and photos about each patient's life to spark discussions and enable professionals to see the real person behind the dementia.

To complement this Kim also established a wide range of materials to support activities with patients which can be used as a distraction, calming influence or discussion aid. She also helped develop training around what it feels like to have dementia to help break down barriers.

Kim said: "I can't put into words how honoured and surprised I am to win this award - I was just doing my job! It was a really special night and one I will never forget."

Judges chose a shortlist of 132 finalists out of 848 entries from 96 organisations.