NURSE Lynsey Brown has been named as a ‘rising star’ of the profession at a major awards ceremony in London.

Lynsey, 36, who works for the Whalley-based Calderstones Partnership NHS Foundation Trust, got to meet Prince Charles after scooping the title at the Nursing Times Awards on Wednesday.

The Rising Star award recognised her work in spotting and helping prison inmates who suffer from learning disabilities. She, along with her colleagues in the forensic support service, have been able to introduce new ways of providing support to those identified.

The whole team, which also includes Lizzie Kidd, Julia Anderson and Andy Shaw, were also nominated for a different award.

Lynsey, who lives in the Ribble Valley, said: “What an amazing experience....It is a real honour to win an award at such a prestigious nursing ceremony that recognises the important work of nurses.

“We all met Prince Charles at Clarence House afterwards and he told us we’re doing a great job, despite the nursing profession having a tough time in the press recently.

“I was proud to be given the opportunity to represent and highlight not only the specialist skills of the nurses here at the [Calderstones] trust but also learning disability nurses as a profession.”

Anne O’Brien, director of clinical governance and operations at NHS Professionals, said: “Congratulations to Lynsey who is a well-deserved winner of this award. It is important to recognise exceptional nurses that go beyond what is required of them, and Lynsey has certainly proved this.”

Jenni Middleton, editor of Nursing Times, said: “It's fantastic to see the profession supporting a new entrant to nursing through this award. This category of our awards shows how you can make a huge difference from your first day as a qualified nurse. This award is about passion and influence and shows that every single nurse has the power to make a difference for the people they are looking after.”