NHS Ayrshire and Arran’s lead sexual health nurse has been recognised for her hard work and dedication to the service.

Karen Provan has been announced as the winner of the Nurse Spotlight Award 2022 this week.

The hardworking nurse received the award from the Faculty of Sexual and Reproductive Health (FSRH) of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists.

Ms Provan, who has worked with NHS Ayrshire and Arran for over 23 years, said she was “delighted” to have achieved the accolade.

She explained: “It has made me feel valued and recognises my contribution to the development of the Sexual Health services. It has inspired me to continue to develop the service.”

It comes after Ms Provan was nominated by her colleague, consultant gynaecologist Anja Katharina Guttinger, who said:

“It was easy to nominate Karen for this award. It was an opportunity to pay credit and thank her for the amount and complexity of work she is doing.

Ms Guttinger explained that she put forward her colleague because of her commitment to the role, especially during the pandemic when her strong leadership kept staff and patients safe; limiting redeployment to closely allied services and constantly responding to new guidance.

She added: “She is an incredible role model for the whole department.”

The FSRH Spotlight Award is part of its International Nurse Day celebrations.

It recognises the important work of sexual and reproductive health nurses, who make up a significant proportion of the workforce in this area - delivering services that support women and girls through their lifetimes.