A TEAM of nurses has won an award for work to help children avoid unnecessary hospital visits.

Bury Children’s Community Nursing Team (CCNT), which is part of Pennine Care NHS Foundation Trust, won one of the trust’s Principles of Care Awards for going the extra mile to provide excellent care.

The team was chosen as winners in the Bury division for the Specialist Navigator project, which saw them working with hospitals, GPs and other community health organisations to help reduce hospital admissions and allow children who were well enough to be discharged early.

One parent who benefitted from the support of CCNT nurses was Shazeena Ahmed whose daughter Fatima, aged one, has a number of complex health needs.

Fatima spent five months in hospital after her birth and difficulties with her breathing mean she is frequently at risk of being re-admitted.

Members of the team visited Fatima at home and checked her oxygen saturation levels regularly meaning she did not have to stay in hospital to be monitored.

Ms Ahmed said: “The nurses have been amazing.

“They’ve given me so much reassurance with Fatima and I know I can call them if I’m worried about anything. We weren’t sure if she was going to survive but she’s growing and getting strong now and I’m so grateful for everything they’ve done.”

They visited children on wards at North Manchester General Hospital to identify those who, with the right support, could be discharged.

This included nurses providing home visits several times a day, where necessary, to check symptoms, deliver medication and support parents.

The team also worked with GP practices and other health organisations to raise awareness of the support they could offer to prevent unnecessary admissions.

From October 2015 to June 2016 the team was able to support more than 100 children to be discharged early from hospital, as well as preventing numerous admissions.

Team manager Claire O’Connor collected the award on behalf of staff at Pennine Care’s Annual General Meeting. She said she was delighted with the award. She said: “I’m incredibly proud of the team and the hard work they’ve put in to keep childre