Three months on from being named overall winner of the Gill Schweigert Innovation Awards, Sue Thomas, ANP Ambassador and founder of Action Menopause Warwickshire, reflects on what the recognition has meant – for her, for the team behind the work, and for the local women they support.
Sue recalls the moment she found out she had won as both emotional and completely unexpected.
“I really wasn’t expecting to win and was absolutely thrilled. I accepted the award on behalf of my team – all of whom are volunteers. Without their time, passion and dedication, I genuinely wouldn’t have been able to set up this much-needed community initiative. Action Menopause Warwickshire is now in its fourth year, and it has always been a massive team effort.”
What made the evening particularly special, she says, was the calibre of the other nominees and the strong nursing presence in the room. “There were so many excellent nominations. It was fabulous to see so many nursing teams presenting, and the calibre of nominees were extraordinary – I was just delighted to be amongst them” said Sue when we caught up with her. For Sue, the award has always represented a collective achievement. While the original idea for Action Menopause Warwickshire was hers, it only became a reality through the belief, energy and commitment of a dedicated group of supporters.
“It might have been my idea, shaped by my own professional and personal experience, but my friends who formed the committee completely ‘got it’ too. They were the ones who helped me run with it – I genuinely couldn’t have done it without them.”
On a personal level, the award has brought a different kind of validation. While feedback from the women who attend Action Menopause Warwickshire has always been overwhelmingly positive, this recognition has come from fellow nurses and peers across the wider system.
“It gives us even more credibility. It’s not just us thinking that what we’re doing is worthwhile, or the women who attend telling us it’s great” said Sue, “To receive that affirmation from your peers really means an awful lot – not just to me, but to everyone involved.” Professionally, Sue feels the award is beginning to act as a quality mark for the service and for the women who use it, mentioning that “It’s still early days, but it’s lovely to be able to use the award as an official stamp of quality – to say, ‘look, it’s not just us who think this is effective.’ It adds an extra layer of reassurance and credibility for women locally, and that’s incredibly important for what we do.”
Rather than viewing the prize funding as something for Action Menopause Warwickshire alone, Sue and the committee were clear from the outset that it should directly benefit nursing and menopause awareness across Coventry and Warwickshire.
“With Gill’s blessing, it was agreed that the prize money should go towards a dedicated menopause and women’s health retreat day, inviting nursing colleagues – including those who were not nominated for the award this year.”
The planned retreat will combine high-quality menopause and women’s health education with protected time for attendees to focus on their own wellbeing.
“We’re inviting nursing colleagues, alongside some volunteers, to a menopause and women’s health retreat day. It will address a huge education gap for both clinicians and non-clinicians, while also offering some well-earned nurturing time. Attendees will come away with a much better understanding of how perimenopause and menopause symptoms can affect people both directly and indirectly. It will help them feel more confident and able to signpost themselves or others appropriately. It’s a complete win-win.”
Sue is keen to see more nurses putting their work forward for recognition across Coventry and Warwickshire.
“It’s a brilliant platform to showcase your innovation, or to support another idea you may need funding for.”
Her message is that recognition matters not only for individuals, but for raising the profile of nursing leadership in primary and community care.
“As nurses working at the coalface of NHS healthcare, we are often the ones who can clearly see where gaps in care provision exist. With the right support and funding, we can make a real difference to patient care. I’m delighted that Gill’s Nurse Innovation Award is being held annually – it’s so important that nurses put themselves forward to be recognised as leaders and innovators who are pushing healthcare forward, especially within primary care and our communities, where our efforts can so often go unnoticed.”
