The outstanding contributions by nine Victorian nurses have been recognised in the third annual Nurse Excellence Awards.

Presenting the awards, Health Minister Bronwyn Pike said they recognised and acknowledged the contribution of nurses within the public health system.

'This year the nominations have come from a range of health services and settings.

'All the nominations were of a high standard and reflect the ability of nurses to respond to the changing health environment.

'The nominations are an insight into the excellent work nurses are undertaking in Victoria,' Ms Pike said.

The 2005 Nursing Excellence Award winners were:

•           Jill Rees and Rebecca McInerney from Cardinia Community Health Service in the Improving the Patient/Client Experience category;

•           Geoffrey Gleeson from the Northern Hospital in the Outstanding Clinical Nursing Leadership category;

•           Barbara Gregory of Mt Alexander Hospital in the Clinical Innovation category.

Each of these winners receives $10,000 so they can share their best practice with others and further develop their skills.

Another four nurses won prizes of $2,500 for their outstanding achievements.

They were Elizabeth Todd, a maternal and child health nurse from the City of Ballarat, Fiona Butler from Peninsula Health, who has expertise in wound management, Mark Hodge, a psychiatric nurse and team leader at the Waratah Homeless Psychiatric Service and Kathy Gribble, a clinical support nurse in the area of stomal therapy and wound management.

The Jen Rusden Memorial Prize was won by Ingrid Plueckhahn, an oncology nurse at the Peter McCallum Cancer Institute.

This award is in memory of Jen Rusden, a community health nurse who established the Daffodils Breast Cancer Support Group.

 'The awards also acknowledge the Government's ongoing commitment to nursing,' Ms Pike said.

Award details:

•           Improving the Patient/Client Experience: Jill Rees and Rebecca McInerney have established a support group for chronically-ill people with respiratory conditions. The members meet monthly to learn skills to improve their self-management in areas such as recognising infection, relaxation techniques, recognising and managing anxiety and when it is appropriate to attend hospital;

•           Outstanding Clinical Nursing Leadership: Geoffrey Gleeson is the Nurse Unit Manager of the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) at The Northern Hospital. The ICU he manages combines critical care, high dependency, coronary care and a recently established cardiac catheter laboratory. The ICU has experienced a 22 per cent growth in patient throughput;

•           Clinical Practice Innovation: Barbara Gregory has developed a model of care for the assessment and treatment for mental health patients who present to emergency departments of small rural hospitals;

•           Elizabeth Todd has established the Family Wellbeing Clinic that takes referrals for women with postnatal depression, a history of sexual abuse, families in domestic violence situations or gambling and substance abuse problems;

•           Fiona Butler's initial aim in 2001 was to assist nursing staff in relation to wound management through consultation, dressing advice and education. She has exceeded these aims and improved wound management for the patients at Peninsula Health;

•           Mark Hodge's clients are shelterless or in crisis accommodation and live with mental illness. He has been described as an excellent clinician who walks alongside his clients, treating them with respect and dignity;

•           Kathy Gribble provides care to inpatients as well as patients in the community. She has achieved the respect and admiration of her colleagues through effective, empathetic communication and advocacy;

•           Jen Rusden Memorial Prize winner Ingrid Plueckhahn is currently a practice development nurse in the Head, Neck and Lung Unit at Peter Mac. In 2002 Ingrid became a QUIT counsellor and health professional educator. Since then, Ingrid has established a program at Peter MacCallum to assist patients to stop smoking.