THE closing date for nominations is looming in the hunt to find the 1999 Community Nurse of the Year.

People have been invited to join in the competition to promote and reward high standards of community nursing care.

The award is open to all community nurses employed by the CommuniCare NHS Trust, which covers Blackburn, Darwen, Hyndburn and the Ribble Valley.

Nurses who can be nominated include health visitors, district, school, Macmillan, treatment room, community hospital staff and Marie Curie.

The organisers, the Community Nurses Amenity Fund, want members of the public who are elderly or housebound, many of whom regularly come into contact with community nursing staff, to make a nomination.

Patients, carers, doctors and colleagues can nominate nurses and people can also nominate themselves.

First prize will be £500, second is £400 and third is £300. Nomination forms are available from all major health centres and community hospitals.

Completed forms should be sent to any health centre or community hospital.

The closing date for nominations is March 1 and the winner will be announced at the Mytton Fold Hotel, Langho, on April 16.

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.