Renfrewshire care home staff scoop prestigious awards at glitzy ceremony
Renfrewshire care home staff have won prestigious prizes at the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) Scotland Awards 2025.
Kirsty Cartin, manager at Rashielee care home in Erskine, scooped the top honour and was crowned nurse of the year at the ceremony, held in the National Museum of Scotland in Edinburgh.
As well as winning the overall title, Kirsty was the winner of the clinical leadership award and Jennifer Carruthers, who also works at Rashielee, won the care home nurse award.
On becoming RCN Scotland nurse of the year 2025, Kirsty said: 'I'm shocked and totally humbled. I'm a proud care home nurse and I want to promote nursing to everyone. It's an excellent career.
'So many times we hear the bad news but there is so much joy in nursing and I want to share that. Care home nursing often doesn't get recognised.
'We are a voice in the shadows and people don't appreciate what we do because they don't know but we are an integral part of community care.
'I want everyone to know what we do so we can all work better, especially given the shift into community care. The most special thing about my whole career tapestry as a nurse is the people, it's the people I met, the residents, their relatives and the staff.
'Getting to know people's stories and getting to be a part of that story. People think care homes are just for dying and they are not; they are places where people go to thrive and flourish.'
Described by her colleagues as a 'champion of the value of care home nursing', Kirsty was nominated due to her compassionate leadership which has helped transform Rashielee into a care home where residents, families and staff fell valued and supported.
Her person-centred approach has been praised for fostering a positive workplace culture, improving staff retention and strengthening the perception of care homes as vital spaces for high-quality, compassionate nursing.
Jennifer, who works as deputy manager at the Erskine facility, was nominated as her work 'sets a benchmark for excellence, demonstrating the profound impact of compassionate leadership in care home nursing'.
Her nomination demonstrated her person-centered care through integrating emotional intelligence with clinical skills and advocating for care home nursing as a holistic discipline.
Helping Jennifer bag the award was that she has experience in both NHS and care homes.
Jennifer identified the challenges of transitioning into care homes and has worked to ease the process for residents and families – implementing trust-building measures such as visiting prospective residents in their current settings, inviting them for informal visits, and encouraging personalised spaces to foster a sense of belonging.
Colin Poolman, executive director of RCN Scotland, said: 'Huge congratulations to Kirsty on her well-deserved award. Too often the role of nursing in social care is overlooked.
'Here, the spotlight is shining on care home nursing and Kirsty's commitment to raising the standards of care for her residents and to developing and supporting her team.
'The judges were inspired by her drive to ensure that her staff always feel valued and supported for the excellent nursing staff they are. Her nomination stood out as exemplifying the very best of nursing in Scotland and we are proud to call Kirsty our nurse of the year.'
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