Pearl recognised as a shining example of nursing leadership

A student nurse working at Guy’s and St Thomas’ has won a national nursing award celebrating excellence and leadership.

Pearl Sakoane, who is 28 and in the final year of her studies at King’s College London, has been named winner of the prestigious Edith Cavell Leadership Award 2015.

The award is named after the famous British nurse who cared for wounded soldiers from all sides during the First World War. This year marks the centenary of Edith Cavell’s death and she is remembered for her humanity and commitment to the nursing profession.

Pearl says: “I’m still in shock that I won – it’s a great honour. I strongly feel that nursing leadership is hugely important. Nurses need to feel empowered to make good decisions for their patients.”

Pearl was born in South Africa and moved to the UK when she was 13-years-old. She was inspired to pursue a career in nursing because of the example set by her late mother, who was a nurse for more than 30 years.

Currently working with dementia patients at St Thomas’ Hospital, Pearl is interested in specialising in dementia care. Describing her experience, she says: “Nursing patients with dementia is challenging but also really fulfilling. The patients are fascinating and as a nurse you get to use your entire skill set.

“I’m certainly enjoying working at Guy’s and St Thomas’. There’s such a wide variety of services providing excellent care to patients and all my colleagues are so supportive. Even as a student I feel like a valued member of the team and at the end of each shift I feel like I’ve been able to make a difference for my patients.”