Nursing staff at Bovingdon’s Mount Prison have scooped a prestigious national award.

At the Nursing Standard’s Nurse Awards 2011, the Mount’s new Learning Disability Team were recognised in the category Nursing Innovations in the Criminal Justice System.

The team, made up of a number of specialists - Healthcare (Herts Community), Mental Health (Herts Partnership Foundation Trust), Learning Disability Officer (Prison) and Community LD Lead (HPFT), supports people with learning disabilities who are in prison. Staff from the Hertfordshire Community NHS Trust were also recognised.

The Step 2 Team, which covers the whole county, won in the category Mental Health: Innovation with patient involvement in recovery planning.

Step 2 is an innovative service set up to support professionals in improving the mental health and emotional well-being of children and young people in Hertfordshire.

The team won for their Bright Stars therapeutic programme which tackles anxiety, low self-esteem and anger amongst young people.

The judges praised the team for working to “lessen the stigma attached to mental health services for young people”.

The awards, sponsored by a leading nursing journal, recognise excellence in the field.