Celebrating excellence in vascular access

It was my honour to present the award for the Vascular Access Nurse of the Year at the BJN Awards in London in March 2025, alongside Kathryn Topley from Solventum. The National Infusion and Vascular Access Society (NIVAS) board judged the entries on behalf of BJN and this year there were more entries than ever. NIVAS is proud to support the BJN Awards, the event is an opportunity to give recognition to nurses in many different categories and BJN always organises a brilliant event. This year was no exception, the most impressive aspect is it is totally free for the shortlisted to attend, a rarity in awards ceremonies these days.

The Vascular Access Nurse of the Year award, which was sponsored this year by Solventum, is an opportunity to shine a light on our specialism and a reminder of how invaluable we are. It should be remembered that 90% of hospital patients receive some form of vascular access. Furthermore, up to 50% of those patients will have difficult intravenous access needs. A vascular access team can reduce complications associated with multiple attempts at gaining vascular access and, equally as important, can improve the patient's experience. Now more than ever, the value of vascular access teams is being recognised. Indeed, since the publication in 2022 of the NIVAS white paper outlining the benefits of a nurse-led vascular access team, I have seen so many more hospitals prioritising and peer reviewing vascular access services.