A young Scots nurse has received national recognition for her innovative work in pain management for patients with Motor Neurone Disease (MND).
Hayleigh Bloomfield, 27, who works in the neurology department at the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital in Glasgow, developed a pioneering protocol that has already sparked interest across the UK and earned her a prestigious award.
Originally from Helensburgh, Hayleigh works on Ward 53, a short-stay unit that helps patients manage a range of neurological conditions. Her interest in improving care for MND patients began when she noticed many struggling with pain after the insertion of feeding tubes. At the time, there was no formal protocol to address this issue, so Hayleigh decided to create one.
“I went to my manager and suggested we should do something about it,” Hayleigh explained. “They told me to go ahead, so I did.”
Collaborating with fellow nurses, doctors, and pharmacists, Hayleigh developed a written pain management protocol that has since been integrated into NHS Scotland’ s digital prescribing tool, HEPMA. An audit is currently underway to compare patient outcomes before and after the protocol’s implementation, gathering feedback to ensure its effectiveness.
But Hayleigh’s efforts didn’t stop there. She created a poster detailing the protocol’s development and its potential impact, which was presented at the British Association of Neuroscience Nurses (BANN) conference in Newcastle in October. Her presentation drew significant interest from more than 100 healthcare professionals and earned the award for Best Poster Presentation.
Following the conference, Hayleigh’s protocol gained widespread attention, with colleagues from other wards and across the UK expressing interest in adapting the approach for their own settings. Jade Walker, now Clinical Educator for Neurology, said: “The interest suggests this protocol could have applications beyond our department and even beyond NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde.
““I’m so chuffed for Hayleigh. It’s been great to see her take the initiative like this, and we’re all really proud of how well she presented at the conference – and the way she acted as such a great ambassador for the ward, and for NHSGGC.”
Hayleigh also presented her work at NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde ’s Regional Services best practice event, where it generated excitement among her peers. “It really caused a stir,” she said. “People saw the potential benefits for other services, which is incredibly rewarding.”
Looking ahead, Hayleigh hopes to present the audit results at next year’s best practice event, exploring how the protocol could be expanded. In the meantime, she’s proud of the recognition her work has brought to the neurology department. “It’s great to have positive news to share,” she said. “I hope I’ve inspired other nurses to have confidence in their ideas and make changes that can improve care for patients.”
Susan Groom, Director of Regional Services at NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde, commended Hayleigh’s initiative. “We would like to congratulate Hayleigh for her success at the BANN conference, and for her initiative and determination in bringing this new protocol to fruition.
“Here at NHSGGC we are committed to creating an atmosphere of continuous improvement among all our staff, and we always encourage ideas and wider participation from colleagues.
“This isn’t the first win we’ve had at the BANN conference, so it seems previous successes are beginning to rub off on our staff.
“I’d like to thank Hayleigh, her managers and all her colleagues for their work on this new protocol, and I hope, as Hayleigh says, it inspires others in her team and across NHSGGC to have the confidence to act on their good ideas.”
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