Thomas Kearney is a Mental Health Practitioner based at the Carleton Clinic in Carlisle.He works with patients who have acute mental illness and has always strived to provide the best care for his patients.
Now his efforts have been recognised officially; The Royal College of Nursing (RCN) has credited him as being the first and only Mental Health Advanced Level Nurse Practitioner in the UK.
Thomas said: “I am very proud to have achieved this award as I believe it provides recognition of the advanced level at which I undertake my practice, and of the skills and knowledge I have and continue to strive to acquire.”
The RCN describe the award as not only an important achievement for Thomas, but as a key milestone for the RCN’s aim to continually drive up standards for the benefit of the nursing profession and most importantly for patients.
Clare Parker, Interim Director of Quality & Nursing at Cumbria Partnership NHS Foundation Trust said: “This is such a great achievement for Thomas and we are so pleased for him. It’s great to see our amazing staff being recognised and rewarded for contributing to improving patient care.”
The RCN states that “Credentialing allows nurses to gain formal recognition of their level of expertise and skill in their clinical practice, their leadership, their education and their research in a way that is recognisable to colleagues, employers, patients and the public.”
The award is valid for three years after which Thomas will be able to resubmit evidence to renew it. Thomas is the only Advanced Nurse Practitioner from the discipline of mental health to be awarded this in the United Kingdom.