‘She has demonstrated the value of her specialist knowledge in inflammatory bowel disease and wider gastrointestinal conditions.’
An Advanced Nurse Practitioner with a Special Interest in Gastroenterology has gained a top prize in the prestigious 2023 Dr Falk-Pharma/Guts UK Charity national awards. Ms Pearl Avery won the Nurse Recognition Prize for her work with patients at Wyke Regis & Lanehouse Medical Practice in Weymouth. Ms Avery also works part-time at St Marks Hospital in London.
Ms Avery’s initiative, entitled ‘An Advanced Nurse Practitioner with a Special Interest in GI Evaluation of Patient Benefit, aimed to explore and validate methods of better managing Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) patients in a primary care setting to avoid both unnecessary referrals to secondary care but also patients having to live with long term unresolved GI symptoms.
Ms Avery was presented with her award and £1,000 prize at the annual meeting of the British Gastroenterology Society (BSG) on Tuesday June 20th. The ceremony took place during a celebratory dinner at the Hope St Hotel, Liverpool with the awards presented by the President of the BSG, Professor Andy Veitch, and attended by other illustrious names in gastroenterology medicine along with the CEO of Guts UK.
The Dr Falk Pharma/Guts UK Awards are dedicated to encouraging research and promoting patient care in the field of gastroenterology and hepatology. Since 2007 they have rewarded over 120 dedicated young healthcare professionals, including medical students, junior doctors, as well as nurses and dietitians. This year is the first to also include an award for pharmacists.
Ms Avery explains, ‘Over my career in secondary care I have seen many patients being referred who didn’t need to be, or who had been on a circular journey between primary and secondary care, possibly seeing several specialists and having multiple tests without resolution of symptoms. I offered my services as an Advanced Nurse Practitioner to Wyke Regis & Lanehouse Medical Practice, who had the foresight to see that this could be a positive change for them.
‘Having specialist GI skills and experience of secondary care allowed me to either diagnose and treat patients in clinic, to order relevant tests or, if necessary, make the best possible referrals to the relevant specialists. Over a six-month period, out of the 65 GI patients I saw, 58 were given a firm diagnosis which resulted in effective treatment in primary care, often greatly improving quality of life. Others received appropriate referral to secondary care.
‘Patient feedback has been extremely positive. I will now carry out a proper cost benefit analysis along with a patient survey with the aim of offering this service out to other GP networks.’
Ms Avery’s manager, Dr Rachel Stow, GP Partner at Wyke Regis & Lanehouse Medical Practice comments:
‘Pearl joined the practice here in September 2021, quickly demonstrating the value of her specialist knowledge in inflammatory bowel disease and wider gastrointestinal conditions.
She has also supported the wider team with her knowledge and experience of supporting treating and assisting diagnosis for patients with Advanced Care Practitioner training sessions and support for medical colleagues as requested.
‘As a practise we have supported Pearl’s innovation of this novel role and will continue to do so due to the obvious benefits for the patients and the team.’
Further Notes:
Dr Falk Pharma UK has been supporting education and innovation in gastroenterology and hepatology across Europe for over 60 years. During this time, the company has organised more than 200 International Symposia and events including scientific congresses and workshops as well as presenting international awards and bursaries. The Dr Falk UK Forums are widely recognised for their significant educational value for doctors, nurses, dietitians and pharmacists. For more information visit www.drfalk.co.uk
Guts UK is the only national charity that supports research into all conditions that affect the gut, liver and pancreas. Through strong connections with the British Society of Gastroenterology and membership of the Association of Medical Research Charities they are able to support a diverse portfolio of research work that is of the highest quality. https://gutscharity.org.uk/
Article written by Isla Whitcroft, HealthyPR
