Published on: 15th October 2020
We’re so proud to announce that Florance Makurira has received a Royal College of Nursing North West award for outstanding contribution to equality, diversity and inclusion.
Florance is a senior mental health practioner and A&E mental health liaison nurse based in Bury.
Originally from Zimbabwe, Florance has worked tirelessly to raise awareness of mental health issues in the black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) community.
She said: “In Zimbabwe there isn’t much training or understanding about mental health – coming to the UK I found it a fascinating area to specialise in.”
Florance has worked on the frontline throughout the covid pandemic, supporting patients attending A&E at Fairfield General Hospital:
“When people come into A&E in a crisis they are in an enormous amount of emotional distress.
Helping them to reduce that stress is what I love most about my job – knowing that you have helped and made a difference to someone.”
Florance hopes that in her role she can help people from the BAME community access mental health services.
She says: “Within the BAME community there is less awareness of mental health issues.
People may not access services early enough, which can be detrimental to their long term health and build more complex issues in the future.”
One colleague who works with Florance described her as “the most calm, caring and compassionate person I’ve ever had the pleasure of working with.”
Clare Parker, our director of nursing, said: “We are all enormously proud of Florance’s achievement and this award is greatly deserved.
Throughout the covid pandemic she has continued to work on the frontline as a senior mental health nurse in A&E – providing outstanding care and support for our patients.”
*Florance is pictured above receiving her award from Clare Parker (right) and Claire Molloy (left), chief executive.