Tuesday 10 March 2015. A local campaign by CSH Surrey to raise awareness of the importance of taking Vitamin D supplements is just one of two entries shortlisted for the Public Health category of the prestigious annual Nursing Standard awards.
Pauline Bigwood, specialist public health nurse, will be presenting the campaign to a 10-strong judging panel in London on Wednesday 11th March. On the same day Pauline will also be recognised as a Fellow by the Institute of Health Visiting at a celebration event to mark her outstanding contribution to the profession. The winner of the Nursing Standard Public Health award will be announced at the annual award ceremony on 1st May.
The simple, eye-catching campaign, ‘Vitamin D for you and me’, was launched by CSH Surrey’s Children’s and Families Service in July 2014 after national evidence showed a fourfold rise in the bone disease rickets caused by Vitamin D deficiency.
CSH Surrey’s 0-19 health visiting and community nursery nurse teams worked closely with its Paediatric Dietitians to create a campaign to raise awareness and supplementation among pregnant and breastfeeding women, babies and children up to five years old.
They used badges, posters, information stickers and events to prompt discussions with mothers about the importance of Vitamin D supplementation. They also worked closely with GPs, midwives and paediatricians as well colleagues in Children’s Centres and Surrey County Council to maximise reach and impact.
As well as being shortlisted for the Nursing Standard Award, the campaign has also been recognised by the Institute of Health Visiting with an award presented to CSH Surrey at the South East Conference in February 2015, and previously won a Mac Queen Educational Award in November 2014 at the Community Practitioners and Health Visitors Association (CPHVA) annual conference. In addition, community health teams across the country have approached CSH Surrey to use the resources for their own campaigns.
Jo Pritchard, Chief Executive of CSH Surrey and herself a Health Visitor, says: “This campaign is public health promotion at its best. I am really proud of the way our children’s nurses and therapists have worked together on this eye-catching campaign, and am thrilled their hard work to improve the health of local children and families is being nationally recognised in this way.”