Here's the magic moment last night when our  Helen Harris and Julie Wood were centre stage at the country's prestigious Nursing Times awards.

They won the Managing Long-term Conditions category - out of 10 contenders - at the event at the Grosvenor Hotel in London.

Their innovative project was to ensure they work more closely with our "front end" to enable us to deliver seamless palliative care as soon as possible in a patient's pathway supporting them and their families.

Helen  - wearing a friend's daughter's Prom dress - said it was all a blur once they started to read out the winner's name.

"They were announcing the winning entry saying  "this submission cares for many different conditions" and I thought " that could be us" and then they said the winner is and after "Cald..." it was all a blur and me and Julie apparently erupted. We grabbed each other and headed for the stage."

Both Advanced Practice Specialist Palliative Care Nurses, they were previously office-based and waited for referrals. They now work more closely with in the EDs and MAUs in our hospitals ensuring our patients receive the care they need at an earlier stage in their stay with us. It also means we can off better support to our patients’ families throughout their palliative treatment.

Helen and Julie are also working with local nursing homes to provide colleagues there with support and care packages for their end of life patients to reduce the occasions their residents return to our EDs often under a blue light.

Steve Ford, editor of the Nirsing Times, said: “As ever, our awards entrants set a very high bar and demonstrated what great care and innovation can be achieved by nurses, often with few resources other than a really good idea and the determination to see it through."