Our awards are designed to shine a light on excellence in Scottish nursing, acknowledging, highlighting, and celebrating the unwavering commitment and exceptional professional care provided by our nursing staff.
The categories encompass various nursing specialties, acknowledging the indispensable contributions of registered nurses, nursing support workers, broader nursing teams and nursing students. They also recognise the innovation, leadership, and dedication to learning displayed within the nursing community.
From Lerwick to Dumfries, Uist to Aberdeen, nominations were encouraged from all corners of health and social care in Scotland, spanning the NHS acute and community services to GP practices, care homes and independent health and social care providers.
Julie Lamberth, RCN Scotland Board Chair, commented on the announcement of the finalists, stating:
"Our Awards are becoming a key moment in the nursing calendar as our time to celebrate all that is great about our profession in Scotland. I’m thrilled with the quantity and quality of the nominations we received, albeit making the judges’ role in shortlisting down to our finalists a momentous task. Regardless of the outcome, all our finalists truly demonstrate the daily dedication of nursing staff in delivering the best of nursing care for the people of Scotland."
Colin Poolman, RCN Scotland Executive Director, champions the awards, saying:
"We hold these Awards each year to allow us to give well-deserved recognition for the excellence, innovation and commitment of nursing staff in Scotland. Reading the nominations and hearing about the exceptional care that nursing staff deliver to the people of Scotland, I’m filled with such pride in the profession and the amazing nominees. I hope the finalists, as well as anyone who was nominated, feel the love and appreciation we all have for the work they do."
The winners of each category will be unveiled at our grand awards ceremony on 12 June at the National Museum of Scotland in Edinburgh. The highly coveted overall RCN Scotland Nurse of the Year 2025 will be selected from the registered nurse winners across the eligible categories.
Our esteemed finalists are:
| Category (Click on a category to find out more about the finalists) |
Finalists |
| Amanda Manson, Cardiology Specialist Nurse, NHS Orkney Kirstie Law, Ear, Nose, and Throat Emergency Nurse Practitioner, Queen Elizabeth University Hospital, NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde Morna Miller, Delirium Nurse, University Hospital Crosshouse, NHS Ayrshire and Arran |
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| Care Home Nursing Award | Abbotsford Care Home, Pepperwood Care, Ardrossan, North Ayrshire Benore Care Home, Avondale Care, Lochore Jennifer Carruthers, Deputy Manager, Rashilee Care Home, Erskine |
| Children's Nursing and Midwifery Award | Best Start Midwifery Leadership Team, NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde Health for All Nursing Team, NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde School Nursing Service, NHS Tayside |
| Clinical Leadership Award Sponsored by Anderson Strathern |
Gillian McAuley, Nurse Director Acute, NHS Lothian Kirsty Cartin, Nurse Manager, Rashilee Care Home, Erskine Marie Hurson, Cardiac Nurse Specialist, Gilbert Bain Hospital, NHS Shetland |
| Inspiring Excellence - Nursing Innovation and Research Award |
Cozy Cuddle Scrubs, Stacey Boyle, Midwife, and Marianne Hay, Senior Charge Midwife, St. John’s Hospital, NHS Lothian |
| Learning Disability Nursing Award | Assertive Outreach Model, Renfrewshire Learning Disability Service, NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde Kerry Anderson and Scott Taylor, Co-Chairs of the Scottish Learning Disability Lead Nurses Group Ward 7A Learning Disability Assessment and Treatment, Woodland View, NHS Ayrshire and Arran |
| Learning in Practice Award | Gwen Gordon, Clinical Educator, NHS Tayside Jill Morrison, Care Home Education Facilitator, NHS Grampian and NHS Education for Scotland Triple Jeopardy Team, The State Hospital and the University West of Scotland |
| Mental Health Nursing Award | Balcary Ward IPCU, Midpark Hospital, NHS Dumfries and Galloway Katie Dickenson, Senior Charge Nurse, Ward 1 IPCU, Forth Valley Royal Hospital Kenneth Davidson, Specialist Nurse for Dementia (Care Homes), Care Home Support Team (Moray), NHS Grampian |
Nursing Student of the Year Sponsored by Glasgow Caledonian University |
Fionnadh Ratchford, Nursing Student, University West of Scotland Grant Cooper, Former Nursing Student, University of Dundee John Langan, Nursing Student, The Open University |
| Nursing Support Worker of the Year Sponsored by NHS Grampian |
Catherine “Irene” Third, Health Care Support Worker, Loch Leven Health Centre, NHS Tayside Chelsey Main, Mental Health Support Worker, New Craig’s Hospital, NHS Highland Julie Ferguson, Associate Practitioner, Royal Hospital for Children, NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde |
| Nursing Team of the Year Sponsored by NHS Greater Glasgow & Clyde |
Acute Medical Unit Nursing Team, Ninewells Hospital, NHS Tayside Angus Urgent Care Advanced Nurse Practitioner Team, Angus Health and Social Care Partnership, NHS Tayside South East Forensic Healthcare, Royal Edinburgh and Associated Services, NHS Lothian |
| People's Choice Award Sponsored by The Sunday Post |
Anne Gregg, Macmillan Specialist Nurse, NHS Orkney Rachael Nixon, Children’s Nurse, Aberlour Childcare Trust and DKMS Rhona Morrison, Quality Improvement Facilitator, NHS Borders, and Volunteer with Tweed Valley Mountain Rescue |
For further insights into why these remarkable individuals have been shortlisted as exemplary representatives of nursing in Scotland, please visit our awards pages.
