Ulster University lecturer in Adult Nursing, Dr Caroline Crawford, is one of two recipients of the 2024 RCN Foundation Amin Abdullah Grant. The grant, launched in 2022 in memory of nurse Amin Abdullah, awards up to £1,000 to support nurse-led projects that focus on nurses' wellbeing. The grant honours Amin’s memory by cultivating change within healthcare, ensuring that wellbeing and mental health support is integral and accessible in workplaces.
Dr Crawford received the funding to pilot an anti-bullying workshop education model. There is further scope for integration into pre-registration nursing undergraduate programmes, as well as potential to embed anti-bullying interventions into the curriculum. The project also hopes to establish anti-bullying champions within the Trust and seeks to create a culture in which nurses feel more competent and confident in reporting or intervening in instances of bullying. The project has now begun and expects to be completed by June 2025.
Dr Caroline Crawford, Ulster University, said:
“This project, ‘Promoting well-being in nursing: An educational workshop to increase the awareness and reporting of workplace bullying and incivility’, focuses on conducting an anti-bullying workshop aimed at fostering positive relationships between newly registered and experienced nurses. By promoting mutual understanding and creating anti-bullying champions, we aim to cultivate a supportive workplace culture. The workshop's findings will inform a larger study to enhance collaboration, improve staff morale, and ultimately benefit patient care across the region.”
The other recipient of the grant is Vanessa Loftus, International Nurse Training Manager and Preceptorship Lead at Liverpool University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust. She received funding to develop a Wellbeing Day for internationally educated nurse (IEN) preceptees.
Deepa Korea, RCN Foundation Director said:
“We are so pleased to support this new cohort as part of the projects the RCN Foundation Amin Abdullah Grant programme. I look forward to these projects coming to fruition and seeing the immense value that they will have in workplaces – not just through tackling important issues such as bullying, but by also providing an outlet and support network for IENs. Projects like Caroline’s and Vanessa’s are a testament to the positive legacy left by Amin and those who made the grant possible.”
Donations from Amin’s partner Terry, staff well-being campaigner Dr Narinder Kapur, and Dr Nathan Illman, clinical psychologist, and founder of the Nurse Wellbeing Mission, established the grant programme, which runs annually.