Andrew Clarke wins top Nursing Award

Andrew Clarke, Lead Health Advisor for CWS, was given the Royal College of Nursing Robert Tiffany International Award at the Nursing Standard Annual Awards 2008, held at the Royal Opera House.

Andrew works mainly for CWS in Nepal and England and also part time as a community health visitor for the NHS East Lancashire Primary Care Trust in Rossendale.

Andrew said:

"It's a hectic life and this has taken me by surprise. I'm really privileged to help marginalised and disadvantaged children and communities out in Nepal as well as being a hands-on mainstream health visitor in East Lancashire. It's quite a tough task juggling all my responsibilities but it's very rewarding and fulfilling. The one thing you learn is that people are the same wherever you are. It's only the immediate circumstances that differ.

"I am in Nepal about five times a year for periods of around three weeks, and work closely with my team by telephone and email in between. I think my clients in both countries benefit from the wider experience I'm lucky to gain. Many of the skills I practice and learn are transferable, even though the circumstances are very different."

 About Andrew

38-year-old Andrew, who lives in Ramsbottom, Lancashire, worked in Africa, Eastern Europe, the Middle East and other parts of South Asia before going to Nepal. He now manages to juggle his home life with his international commitment as a Lead Health Advisor for CWS and with his work as a community health visitor in the Nelson and Brierfield area, being based at Yarnspinners Health Centre in East Lancashire.

Both he and his wife Cate, a Nurse Practitioner on the Intensive Care Unit at Salford Royal Hospital, cope with the heavy demands on their lives, as well as bringing up their two sons, four-year-old Patrick and two-year-old George.

In Nepal, Andrew is responsible for leading a team that supports and develops a wide range of child health programmes, using innovative and low-cost ways to improve access to basic health services for poor people in isolated villages and shanty towns. His team also helps provide youth health services for street-based or working children , as well as providing a safer motherhood service to reduce the very high death rates in pregnancy and childbirth.

Nearly 1000 people a week are using the clinics and other services, with getting on for 50,000 this year passing through the department - people who would have no access to care otherwise. Andrew works very closely with Nepalese health workers, organisations and the government so that services and care develop sensibly and are sustainable in the future.

Please see our Media Downloads page for press coverage of Andrew's award.