A COMMUNITY diabetes nurse at Warrington and Halton Teaching Hospitals Trust has won a prestigious national award.

Liz Atkins has worked four days per week for the trust for the past five years - but during Covid she stepped up her hours further.

Liz volunteered her spare time to assist with the rollout of the Covid vaccine to her colleagues, as well as her patients and communities across the trust.

The community nurse has also been working around the clock to complete her Professional Nurse Advocate (PNA) qualification, which is a Masters-equivalent degree introduced by the NHS.

Liz was awarded the Cavell Star Award - a national award given to healthcare professionals who 'shine bright and show exceptional care.'

Lesley Mills is Liz's manager, and she nominated her for the award - Lesley said: "Liz has been a constant team member supporting those around her.

"She is an excellent role model, and we are very proud to have her in our diabetes team."

Liz said: "I'm honoured to receive this award - it's even more special that I was nominated by my team.

"I'm a cog in this team and without the support of this wonderful team, I wouldn’t be able to achieve what I have."