Nurse wins top grant to head Down Under

Deputy Head of Nursing for the @home service Karen Titchener has been awarded more than £5,000 to visit hospitals in Australia and New Zealand to find out about their hospital@home services.

Karen received the prestigious grant from the Winston Churchill Memorial Trust. The Trust funds British citizens to go to other countries to investigate inspiring practice and to bring innovative ideas back that will benefit people in the UK.

Karen, who leads Guy's and St Thomas' @home service, will be sharing her experiences and knowledge with other healthcare professionals on her return.

She says: "This award is an amazing opportunity for me to see how other countries provide ‘hospital-in-the-home' services. This is becoming increasingly important as we begin to move care closer to where people live and to provide treatments in locations that better suit our patients’ needs.

"Ultimately the experience on my trip to Australia and New Zealand will help us as a team to drive up standards and improve the care we provide to patients at home."