NURSES who look after pregnant prisoners and new mothers in jail will find out this weekend if they have won a major national award.

The Integrated Nursing Team at Low Newton Prison and Young Offenders’ Institution in Durham have been shortlisted in the RCN Nurse Awards.

The team is a finalist in the Mental Health Practice category of thee awards, to be held in London tonight (May 5).

Despite having no extra resources, the team devised a care plan to ensure all women were listened to and their needs identified to improve the outcome for both mother and baby.

Team manager Matty Caine said: “This recognition demonstrates the scale of what can be achieved with hard work, communication, dedication, and above all else, a passion for ensuring the provision of a safe and effective service for our residents”.

He added: “We realised we could and should do more for this population of women.

“We have been able to reach a population of women who may well have previously been missed”.