Find out more about the winner and shortlisted entries in the Theatre and Surgical Nursing category at the 2025 Nursing Times Awards.
The winners of the 2025 Nursing Times Awards were announced at a ceremony on 23 October last year, attended by finalists and judges.
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Winners across 25 categories, including Theatre and Surgical Nursing, received their awards at the JW Marriott Grosvenor House Hotel on Park Lane. Below you can find out who made our Theatre and Surgical Nursing shortlist in 2025 and why:
Winners
Royal Devon University Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust: Plastic surgery innovation project – plastics minor procedures theatre
Summary: The team identified high volumes of patients who needed hand surgery under local anaesthetic, which could be safely managed outside of a traditional main theatre environment. They applied for funds to build a minor procedures theatre and, since 2022, have completed 3,000 surgical cases across plastics trauma and elective patients. A wide range of surgeries have been performed under local and regional anaesthesia. This work has not only had a large impact on cutting elective waiting lists and time to surgery but also has freed up capacity in the main theatre, which has been used across specialties to manage waiting lists and operative pressures.
During the Covid pandemic, like many healthcare trusts, Royal Devon University Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust was struggling with theatre capacity.
In the plastics surgery trauma service, we identified that there were high volumes of patients that required surgery under local anaesthetic, which could be safely managed outside of a traditional main theatre environment.
We applied for a Covid grant and were successful in obtaining funds to build a minor procedures theatre (Plastics Exeter Hand Unit/PEHU).
The desired remit for this theatre was to serve both plastics trauma and elective patients. The unit did face many challenges through this transformation project.
One of the significant challenges was in the recruitment as there is a national shortage of theatre nurses and practitioners, however, we were able to overcome this challenge with recruiting and training the nursing team within the unit.
Since 2022 we have now complete 3,000 surgical cases in PEHU. This work has consisted of performing a wide range of surgeries performed under local and regional anaesthesia.
From the elective side: skin cancer removals/elective hand surgeries carpal tunnel/trigger finger releases/dupuytrens contracture releases.
From the trauma side: nail bed repairs, extensor tendon repairs, digital nerve repairs, split skin grafts, fracture fixations.
This work not only has had a considerable impact on reducing elective waiting lists and time to surgery data but also has freed up valuable capacity in main theatre, which has been used across the specialties to manage waiting lists and operative pressures.
We have already started to further increase the remit of surgery that is being completed in PEHU by developing further the regional block service with the assistance of an anaesthetic associate.
We have calculated that we could take 50% of the plastics trauma which is currently being completed on main theatre lists down to PEHU to further free up additional capacity.
Finalists
Ashford and St Peter’s Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust: Early optimisation and ultra-enhanced recovery pathway in elective colorectal surgery
Summary: The team redesigned the pathway after identifying an increase in patients with significant comorbidities requiring bowel surgery following cancer diagnosis. The new nurse-led pathway has enabled patients to recover in the comfort of their home, reduced on-day cancellations and received excellent feedback.
We identified that there has been an increase in patients with significant co-morbidities requiring bowel surgery after cancer diagnosis.
Addressing complex medical concerns late in the pathway was delaying patients receiving their cancer treatment in a timely manner.
There were also significant bed capacity issues with on-the day cancellation for benign bowel resections.
After deep dive into our pathway and brainstorming sessions with all-specialist colorectal nurses, we re-designed our pathway.
Our objective was to assess fitness and medically optimise patients early in the pathway, using the time effectively while patients were awaiting investigations.
We also aimed to discharge patients earlier (if suitable) with remote monitoring support. It was also exceptionally important to collect prospective accurate data to review our practice regularly.
Change is difficult and routine practices were being challenged. For example; pre-operative assessment of a patient prior to having definitive diagnosis of bowel cancer was not the norm.
However, without this assessment, identification of medical problems and optimisation was not possible. Having the pre-assessment department and our anaesthetic colleagues on board made this possible.
Our experienced nurses, explain the rationale for early assessment to patients. They led the pathway, as well as support co-ordinators and patients.
Our new early optimisation and ultra-enhanced recovery pathway has needed major re-think of old ways but it has been a success because of the strong leadership of our nursing team.
Since the launch of our pathway, we have shown improvement in our 62-day cancer pathway, have enable patients recover at the comfort of their home, have reduced on-day cancellations and have received excellent patient feedback.
Our nurses have received local awards such as “Pride in nursing- divisional team of the year”. We hope to support and enable other colorectal departments to achieve similar outcomes.
Finalists
Chelsea and Westminster Hospital NHS Foundation Trust: Enhancing paediatric care of post-op patients experiencing emergence delirium
Summary: Recognising a gap in routine screening and other practices, the team launched a nurse-led quality improvement initiative to enhance the identification, documentation and management of emergency delirium. They introduced the Cornell Assessment for Paediatric Delirium as a routine screening tool, leading to early recognition of delirium and better patient and family support.
Emergence delirium (ED) is a distressing and often underdiagnosed complication affecting 10–30% of paediatric patients following anaesthesia.
Despite its frequency and impact, no routine screening or standard documentation practices existed within our paediatric theatres recovery unit.
Recognising this gap, we launched a nurse-led quality improvement initiative to enhance the identification, documentation, and management of ED.
We introduced the Cornell Assessment for Paediatric Delirium (CAPD) as a routine screening tool, integrating it into daily workflows by assessing all patients five minutes post-wake-up and again pre-ward transfer.
We focused on building staff knowledge and confidence through targeted education sessions, bedside coaching, and practical support. Working closely with paediatric anaesthetists, we ensured multidisciplinary buy-in.
Key challenges included initial staff hesitation, workflow adjustments, and the lack of CAPD integration into electronic systems.
Through Plan-Do-Study-Act (PDSA) cycles and continuous feedback, we refined our approach, increased engagement, and overcame technical barriers.
CAPD screening is now fully standardised, and governance approval was secured across all North West London Children’s Hospitals. Furthermore, collaboration with hospital engineers has begun to embed CAPD directly into Cerner, our electronic medical record system.
Our outcomes have been significant: ED documentation has increased, staff confidence has improved by over 30%, and early recognition of delirium has allowed for better patient and family support.
Looking ahead, we aim to complete CAPD’s integration into Cerner by the end of 2025, continue staff education through tailored training modules, and collaborate across the North West London network to create unified delirium management guidelines.
Our ultimate goal is to establish ED screening as a national quality indicator, contributing to improved patient safety, satisfaction, and outcomes in paediatric anaesthesia recovery.
Finalists
Nuffield Health: Spinal surgery framework Spinal lead nurse
Summary: Theresa Carey developed and implemented a spinal surgery pathway, which has been rolled out across all 37 Nuffield Health hospitals. It ensures compliance with national regulations, guidance and best practice to support the delivery of high-quality, safe and effective care and outcomes.
Establishment of comprehensive cardiac services at a newly constructed hospital was a critical initiative.
The challenge was to build a robust, patient-centered cardiac surgery service whilst ensuring appropriate volumes and operational efficiency to deliver high standards of care and clinical competence.
Creating our world-class, patient-focused cardiac surgery service to serve both independent and NHS sector patients involved close collaboration with an established centre that performs over 2,000 complex cardiac surgeries annually.
Leveraging this partnership, we ensured access to specialist knowledge, resources, and experience whilst assembling a highly skilled multidisciplinary team and equipping the hospital with cutting-edge technology ensuring patient safety and quality outcomes.
Implementation of this advanced initiative proved to be resource-intensive, the high-risk nature of cardiac services requires careful planning and execution to ensure optimal outcomes.
The rapid planned growth in patient activity in the three years requires an open culture, responsive to rapidly changing needs and continuous review, allowing adaptations in the development of our patient-focused care.
An example of this was the need for a specialised workforce who are highly trained to meet the needs of our growing service.
As a result of this our cardiac course was established, which has currently trained more than forty-five staff members.
Despite challenges, the launch of the cardiac surgery services has been a huge success, delivering exceptional patient care and achieving significant operational milestones, including operating on over 300 patients, whilst achieving patient outcomes better than the national averages across all domains.
Looking ahead, we plan to continue expanding and refining the cardiac services offered to meet increasing demand, whilst maintaining a focus on excellence in patient care.
Future initiatives include further development of specialised treatment protocols, investment in advanced technology, and continuous staff training which is reviewed and adapted to keep pace with the evolving needs of our patients.
Finalists
East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust: Transforming preoperative assessments with AI
Summary: Team manager Toni Bell has leveraged artificial intelligence technology to significantly improve the preoperative assessment process, by reducing its administrative burden. Successful implementation led to increased productivity, allowing a larger pool of patients for theatres and ultimately reducing the waiting list.
In preoperative assessments, numerous administrative tasks consume significant time and detract from patient interaction, often resulting in assessments that feel cold and impersonal.
During a service review, I discovered the Clear programme and initiated discussions about leveraging their AI technology to reduce administrative burdens and enhance productivity.
As I learned more about the system, I realised its potential to significantly improve the preoperative assessment process.
We meticulously navigated through all stages of implementation, supported by a dedicated team committed to enhancing the patient journey. This involved addressing digital governance, patient safety issues, and comprehensive training.
The successful implementation led to increased productivity, allowing a larger pool of patients for theatres and ultimately reducing the waiting list.
This improvement is evident as we have had no 65-week breach patients for months, except for certain exceptions beyond our control, such as ophthalmology graft patients.
Additionally, theatre utilization has consistently exceeded 85%, placing us in the top 10 nationally, often within the top five.
Challenges that we faced was making sure the project was safe for patient use as this was the first in the country of its kind to be used in this setting.
We worked through hazard logs and clinical safety reports and placing safeguards in place to ensure all was safe before launching, as with any trails there was errors and different ways of working to make sure we got this right. This caused frustration at times, but these errors reduced so did the frustration.
The comments that were used was ‘this is great when it works’, there was regular meetings set up with nurses who were testing initially to work out any error or tweaks with 33N.
This was very much nurse led at every step of the way. Next steps are to increase productivity further.
Finalists
King’s College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust: Enhanced recovery after surgery for spinal neurosurgery
Summary: The Enhanced Recovery After Surgery (ERAS) spinal team has developed and implemented the first nurse-led ERAS protocol for elective spinal surgery within neurosurgery in the UK. This was driven by a significant gap in perioperative care for spinal patients, aiming to improve outcomes, reduce hospital stays and address a growing surgery waiting list.
The Enhanced Recovery After Surgery (ERAS) spinal team has developed and implemented the first nurse-led ERAS protocol for elective spinal surgery within neurosurgery across the UK.
This was driven by the need to address a significant gap in perioperative care for spinal patients aiming to improve patient outcomes, reduce prolonged hospital stays, and address the growing spinal surgery waiting list caused by limited bed availability.
To develop the pathway, we reviewed current clinical guidelines, existing spinal surgery pathways, and evidence-based interventions for preoperative optimisation and early discharge.
A quality improvement project was carried out to map the patient journey and identify key areas for change.
One of the main challenges was securing engagement across the multidisciplinary team. Shifting away from long-standing practices of working in stages, rather than as a whole required collective effort and cultural change.
The absence of standardised postoperative care for discharged patients was another important setback. With no dedicated helpline available, many resorted to A&E for support, leading to prolonged waits and straining emergency services.
Limited GP access and intervention capacity further aggravates the issue, increasing barriers on effective follow-up.
Despite these initial challenges, the ERAS pathway has delivered clear benefits, including measurable reductions in length of stay (LOS), improved patient outcomes, and introduced a transferable model of perioperative nursing excellence.
In addition, this helped increasing bed availability resulting in hospital resources being utilized more effectively and enhances access to timely surgical care for those in the waiting list.
We now aim to expand ERAS across other neurosurgical specialties and support wider adoption across NHS trusts, with the long-term goal of establishing it as the standard approach for elective spinal surgery nationwide.
Finalists
Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital NHS Trust: Improving admission and discharge pathways for children and young people
Summary: This project began in August 2024 to streamline the admission and discharge processes in place on a children and young people’s ward by introducing a dedicated team consisting of a ward sister, play assistant and healthcare assistant. It improved patient and healthcare staff experience, and reduced delays.
In August 2024, this project was initiated to streamline the admission and discharge processes in place on Coxen Children & Young People ward.
It aimed to:
- Improve patient experience of the admission & discharge process
- Improve staff experience, releasing time for compassionate care
- Reduce delays in patients leaving the ward to go to theatre
- Reduce delays and cancellations for patients with expired MRSA results
- Reduce with the number of patients being discharged after 5pm
- Improve communication between the ward and theatres by providing a single point of contact on the ward
I introduced a checklist to monitor the admission process for each patient admitted for theatre. I then put together a team to manage the admissions process.
This consisted of a ward sister, play assistant and healthcare assistant. As a team, we were able to carry out the full admission for each patient admitted to the ward for theatre.
We then implemented a change to the monitoring of MRSA results, whereby we would look up the results for all ‘to come ins’ (TOIs) the day before admission to ensure they were in date.
Once this new admission process was in place, we looked at the discharge processes. We implemented a checklist for monitoring the discharges of the ward.
This checklist was quickly changed to a new safety huddle which incorporated the current condition of all patients on the ward, as well as any discharge planning.
We faced challenges with implementing the discharge processes, as these involved more teams outside of the immediate ward staff (pharmacy, therapy, medical team, surgical team).
We found that involving these teams, by getting their feedback on proposed changes, ensured their engagement with the changes
Following the success of this project, the team continue to make improvements in the communication and collaborative working between teams.
Finalists
Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust: Theatre Academy
Summary: Since September 2023, all new theatre staff have attended a three-week comprehensive, cross-site, standardised, structured and evidenced-based training package. It facilitates smooth transition into the setting and forms an essential foundation to build their future theatre career on.
In September 2023, our cross-site theatre professional development created a Theatre Academy.
All staff new theatre staff will attend the Theatre Academy, with the exception of those who have completed a formal theatre education or already an experience theatre practitioner.
Issue trying to resolve:
- Reduce the initial burden on existing staff in training new staff to theatres.
- Reduce associated stress, sickness absence and staff attrition.
- Reduce the length of time for new staff to achieve an appropriate competence level.
- Facilitate a smooth transition into the clinical setting and ensure all new staff are equipped with the vital skills and knowledge required.
- Positively impact on the provision of safe patient care.
How went about it:
- By creating staff a comprehensive, cross-site, standardised, structured and evidenced based training package for staff new to theatres.
- The Theatre Academy was initially launched in September 2023 and now runs over three weeks, with two weeks of training and a final week of consolidation, assessments and retrieval. The Theatre Academy content is grounded on evidence-based practice and is aligned with our Trusts policies and SOPs and National standards and guidelines.
Challenges:
- Time and resources to run the academy.
- Location and facilities (theatres not used, classroom space, equipment and supplies).
- Adapting to unexpected challenges, having to be resourceful with limited support.
Future plans:
- The Theatre Academy to work effectively and have the same benefits with lower numbers of new starters.
- Reduce the resources required to run the Academy (put presentations and assessments on LMS).
- Make the Academy look more professional and be more intuitive by using new software programs.
Finalists
The Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust: Joint School – pre-operative preparation for hip and knee arthroplasty patients
Summary: Before April 2024, no formal or standardised pre-operative patient education provision existed at Cannock Chase Hospital, leading to the birth of the Joint School initiative. To date, the school has seen over 1,000 patients, who report feeling less anxious, more informed and better prepared.
In March 2023, Cannock Chase Hospital was accredited as a Getting It Right First Time (GIRFT) elective surgical hub. On average, the site performs 1,200 primary hip and knee replacements per annum.
According to GIRFT, active participation in a pre-operative education programme is essential to patients undergoing joint arthroplasty. This is because it has a beneficial impact on anxiety and leads to shorter hospital stays.
Prior to April 2024, no formal or standardised pre-operative patient education provision existed at Cannock Chase Hospital.
Following extensive conversations with the directorate team and key stakeholders, including patients, the Joint School initiative was born.
With the support of the multi-disciplinary team, the project was led by the clinical nurse specialist for enhanced recovery. Its design reflected the patient voice and was built upon the concept of “I wish I’d have known”.
Initial implementation of the Joint School programme was not without its challenges; a room needed securing on a regular basis, administration support needed sourcing, and the sessions needed staffing with appropriately experienced colleagues. This required close communication with the library manager and directorate clinical leads.
In April 2024, the Joint School team delivered their first face-to-face session. To date, they have seen over 1,000 patients through the service. Patients that have attended Joint School feel less anxious, more informed and better prepared.
They are extremely satisfied with the information provided and highly recommend it to others. In addition, since implementation, the site has seen a reduction in average length of stay.
Future plans for the Joint School initiative are to expand the service to all hip and knee arthroplasty patients at The Royal Wolverhampton Trust, and to develop a virtual/online programme.
In addition, there is a view to work collaboratively with our neighbouring trusts to streamline the provision across the Black Country.
Finalists
Wrightington, Wigan and Leigh NHS Foundation Trust: The Welcome to SAL film
Summary: The surgical admissions lounge (SAL) often admits patients on the day of surgery, which can induce anxiety. To address this, the trust developed a film, which takes patients through each step of the surgical admissions process, from arrival to discharge, to reduce anxiety and improve preparedness.
The QR initiative was developed to address the challenge of providing patients with lengthy paper information leaflets at discharge from the Surgical Admissions Lounge (SAL).
Typically, patients received an average of 21 pages of printed material which could be overwhelming, difficult to navigate, and not environmentally friendly.
The aim was to simplify access to important discharge information while supporting digital healthcare transformation.
To tackle this, I led the development of a digital system that generates QR codes linking directly to patient information leaflets.
This allows patients to use their smartphones or other devices to access clear, concise information anytime and anywhere.
The initiative reduces the need for printing large volumes of paper, improving sustainability and supporting trust goals around environmental responsibility.
One of the main challenges was ensuring accessibility for all patients, including those less familiar with digital technology.
We addressed this by providing clear instructions and staff support to help patients access the information via QR codes. We also ensured that alternative formats remain available for those who prefer paper.
The outcomes have been positive with improved patient experience and easier access to discharge information.
Staff have reported more efficient discharge processes as less time is spent explaining lengthy leaflets.
The initiative aligns with modern healthcare digital strategies and reduces the environmental impact of paper use.
Future plans include expanding the QR system across other surgical wards and departments within the trust.
There is also potential to integrate the system with patient portals to further enhance digital engagement.
You can also read more about the other winners and finalists in the 2025 Nursing Times Awards supplement and make sure you consider entering this year’s Nursing Times Awards.
