The Royal Star & Garter Homes has been named as a finalist in the prestigious Student Nursing Times Awards.

The Charity, which cares for ex-Servicemen and women and their partners living with disability or dementia, is one of nine shortlisted in the Nursing Associate Training Programme Provider of the Year category.

The Charity has played a key role in the development and roll-out of the Trainee Nursing Associates (TNAs) programme, and has been involved in the national project from the beginning.

The Royal Star & Garter Homes has been providing placements to TNAs since 2017 from its Home in Surbiton, and is also one of only a few care homes to put forward staff for the programme, with its first cohort starting in January 2019.

Director of Care, Pauline Shaw OBE, said: “We’re proud to have welcomed TNAs since the Health Education England (HEE) pilot began in 2017. It allows us to share with trainees and students best practice, and the work of our dedicated multi-disciplinary team. To be shortlisted reflects on the excellent work carried out by the team at our Home in Surbiton.”

One of the TNAs placed at The Royal Star & Garter Homes was Health Care Assistant Gary Cutmore, who is deaf. He hopes to inspire others with auditory problems to achieve their goals, and praised the Charity for how it adapted to deal with his hearing loss during his placement. Gary has been shortlisted in the Most Inspirational Student Nurse of the Year category at the same Awards.

The Student Nursing Times Awards take place on 26 April at The Grosvenor House Hotel, London.