A senior nurse from Sherwood Forest Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust has reached the final of a prestigious national award.

Adam Hayward, Assistant Director of Nursing, has been shortlisted in the Rising Stars category at the coveted Health Service Journal awards 2014. This year’s awards saw over 1300 entries, with Adam one of 11 to make the final shortlist.

A qualified adult nurse, Adam was appointed to the role of Practice Development Matron for Dementia in October 2012 and in recognition of his dynamic work, has recently been appointed to the position of Assistant Director of Nursing.

Paul O’Connor, Chief Executive of Sherwood Forest Hospitals, said: “The thing about Adam is his great enthusiasm. You always see him, you always hear him and you often hear him before you see him.

“You feel his input all around the Trust, he is a great advocate for the Trust and its services and he has a huge amount of energy. He is an inspirational leader and you sense that he wants to bring dementia and the care of the elderly to the very forefront, to being the core of our future of the Trust.”

Over the last 18 months Adam has led the Trust-wide Enhancing Patient Support initiative to improve care for some of the Trust’s most vulnerable patients, re-writing the Trust Dementia Care Pathway and Strategy, and leading to improved working within the organisation and with partner agencies locally and nationally. He has showcased the Trust’s work at Westminster Hall and took part in a Cabinet Office Review of improvement work around dementia care.

Adam, who will find out if he has won at an awards ceremony in November, said: “I am thrilled to make the shortlist for this year’s HSJ awards and to receive recognition for doing a job that I love, in an organisation which I am so proud to work for.”

The HSJ awards were created in 1981 to recognise, on a national platform, the projects and initiatives that deliver healthcare excellence and innovation. By shining a spotlight on cutting-edge innovations and best practice, the awards give impetus to improving the quality of health care in the UK.

Alastair McLellan, Editor of the HSJ, said: “The HSJ Awards are the greatest celebration of one of the world’s finest healthcare systems. The excellence it recognises is the best example of why the NHS remains Britain’s best loved institution.”