Nursing Times wins two awards at ‘oscars’ of publishing industry | Nursing Times

At a ceremony on Wednesday evening, Ingrid Fuchs was posthumously named Columnist of the Year at the 2023 PPA Awards.

“Ingrid’s writing as incredibly honest, powerful and moving”

The judges

In addition, last year’s Nursing Times Summit & Awards won the category for Event of the Year (Business Media).

Ingrid, a cancer specialist nurse, wrote a blog about her own experiences of living with the disease to raise awareness among other members of the nursing profession.

Others shortlisted in her category included Alastair Campbell at Men’s Health, Helen Edwards at Marketing Week, Mark Ritson also at Marketing Week and Gideon Spanier at Campaign magazine.

It represents the second time that Ingrid has been awarded a trophy for her column. Earlier this year, she was named Columnist of the Year (B2B) at the 2022 British Society of Magazine Editors Awards.

Ingrid had been diagnosed in 2021 with triple-negative breast cancer, a less common form of the disease that is harder to treat than many others.

Formerly, she was lead clinical nurse specialist at Avon Breast Screening, part of North Bristol NHS Trust, where she worked to support women recalled for assessment and to boost screening uptake.

A specialist breast cancer nurse to the last, following her diagnosis, she contacted Nursing Times and asked if she could write about her cancer journey to help raise awareness of her condition.

In a series of 25 very personal blogs, which we began publishing in March 2022, she candidly shared details of her diagnosis and treatment, and their impact on herself and her family.

In her own words, she said: “I hope that talking about my experience will offer new insights, both for me as a patient and practitioner, and for other clinical nurse specialists.”

Her articles have been read by thousands over the last six months, with some instalments – especially those on CT scans – proving especially well read.

We sadly learnt that Ingrid passed away peacefully on the morning of 22 July with her family by her side, less than 10 months after being diagnosed with an extraordinarily aggressive tumour.

Kaïn and Jean van den Elsen, Ingrid’s son and husband, respectively, wrote the last part in the blog series together, in which they revealed the news of her passing and that we published in November.

Jean and Kain attended the awards ceremony and accepted the award, receiving a standing ovation from other finalists and winners attending the event at City Central at the HAC in London.

The judges said: “Ingrid’s writing as incredibly honest, powerful and moving. She charted her breast cancer diagnosis and treatment as both a healthcare professional themselves and as a patient, using their own experience and industry title to provide a truly authentic and informative account.

“Sadly, Ingrid Fuchs passed away last September, but with the permission of her family, Nursing Times wanted to share her columns with as wide an audience as possible.”

Meanwhile, the Nursing Times Workforce Summit & Awards have taken place annually since 2018, more recently with both virtual and in-person sessions following the Covid-19 pandemic.

It comprises a one-day summit followed by an awards ceremony in the evening, with accompanying sessions held virtually in the preceding week.

The summit attracts over 250 attendees from across NHS, acute, community, mental health and independent healthcare providers.

“The judges were very impressed with this event as it considered the audience journey”

Delegates attending the event are able to share challenges and solutions with their peers on a range of workforce issues affecting the profession, as well as hearing keynote speakers.

Meanwhile, the Nursing Times Workforce Awards recognise and reward the excellent work that is being done by the profession and employers to support the nursing and midwifery workforce.

The judges said they were “very impressed with this event as it considered the audience journey, offered multiple points for engagement and showed strong commercial performance”.

The PPA Awards 2023 are intended to celebrate the outstanding achievements, innovation and progress made across the “vibrant universe” that is UK specialist media.

With 27 categories, the PPAs describe themselves as the most current and prestigious platform to recognise the incredible work of businesses and individuals from every corner of the media.