CLCH 22 dedicated nurses bring home prestigious Queen’s Nurse award
On Friday 29 November, 22 staff were awarded the prestigious title of Queen's Nurse at the annual awards ceremony in London, in recognition of their commitment to ongoing learning, leadership, and excellence in healthcare.
The night brought together over 500 community nurses to celebrate the incredible work being done across nursing services - whether it’s through patient care, education, leadership, or innovation. There was also a presentation of some of the most prestigious awards in nursing, including the Queen’s Nurse title and the Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother Award for Outstanding Service.
The programme brings community nurses together to enhance their professional skills, fostering collaboration and continuous learning to deliver exceptional patient care in the community. The award acknowledges the dedication and hard work undertaken by these nurses to delivering clinical expertise and ensuring that the best provision of care is consistently provided to patients.
One of the Queen’s Nurses, Catherine Gladstone, a Specialist Health Visitor for the Homeless Team in the South West division, has been a nurse for over 25 years, qualifying in 1992 as a Registered General Nurse.
Catherine said: “It was a privilege to be accepted into the programme and it is amazing achievement for me to celebrate this recognition among colleagues where I received the accolade. Being a Queen’s Nurse is a lot to live up to. I am joining an array of current and past nursing excellence. I hope it will give me more authority in advocating for my families in temporary accommodation who so often live in unsuitable conditions.”
Also awarded the title, Alex Parting, Team Lead for the Night District Nursing Team in the Inner North West division, has been a nurse for over 28 years, qualifying in 1996 as a Community Staff Nurse at Emperor's Gate."
Alex said: “I felt really honoured to receive both the Queens Nurse Award and the Long Service Award within five days of each other! The reason I am still working in the trust after 28 years is down to my colleagues who work so hard to ensure we give the best care to our patients. Our staff are the NHS's biggest asset and only by supporting and developing them, we can give our patients the care they deserve. I intend to use the Queen’s Award as a platform to continue to do so.”
CLCH Chief Nurse Charlie Sheldon, was also a recipient who received the title, shared his thoughts, saying: ‘I am truly delighted to receive the QNI title alongside my fellow colleagues in the trust. This award is a fantastic achievement by 21 of our brilliant staff members, highlighting their excellence in nursing. This recognition is a testament to providing the highest standards of care to our patients, and I am incredibly proud of you all for this well-deserved recognition! We are fortunate to have amazing nurses across CLCH who continually demonstrate compassion, professionalism, and a tireless commitment to providing exceptional service.”
Huge congratulations to the new Queen’s Nurses who received the award this year:
- Adenike Aderibigbe, Team Lead (0-19), SW
- Jackie Allain, Deputy Director of Operations, ONW
- Zaby Begum, Community Nurse, SW
- Sara Buttle, Childrens Community Nurse, INW
- Angela Elliott, Senior Case Manager, INW
- Gemma Gilmore, Community Nurse Manager, SW
- Catherine Gladstone, Specialist Homeless Health Visitor, SW
- Hannah Hosier, Safeguarding Named Nurse, Hertfordshire
- Judith Kato, District Nurse Team Leader, INW
- Yvette Kumi, ONW
- Sarah-Jayne Lawson, District Nurse, Hertfordshire
- Dominic Lenaghan, Homeless Health Lead Nurse, SW
- Victoria Mack, Cardiac Rehab Nurse Specialist, Hertfordshire
- James Mackintosh, Clinical Quality Lead, INW
- Ekaete Nquot, Named Nurse for Safeguarding for Children, SW
- Joyce Osei, Practice Development (0-19) Nurse, Q&L
- Victoria Owusu, Community Staff Nurse, SW
- Alex Parting, Team Lead, INW
- Laura Sanders, Practice Development Nurse (0-19), Q&L
- Charlie Sheldon, Chief Nurse (Exec)
- Alyson Taylor, Clinical Service Lead, INW
- Mandy Whiteman, Clinical Lead, Hertfordshire
Please read on to hear briefly from our Queen's Nurse awardees as they share insights into their nursing careers and backgrounds. Scroll down the page to see photos capturing the special moment when staff received their title.
“I am honoured to have received the Queen’s Nurse award and it is a testament to the work I do with people experiencing homelessness. It feels amazing to have this recognised and that it’s a marker of my commitment to high standards for care and improving practice. This means I’m now part of a national network of other community nurses where I can share my experiences and knowledge but learn and get support from others. I would like to thank everyone who supported my application.” Dom Lenaghan, Lead Nurse, Quality and Learning. Dom has worked in the NHS for 23 years. He has been a qualified nurse for over 12 years and began his career as a Healthcare Assistant in a GP practice. His first nursing role was in A&E/AAU.
“It is an honour and a privilege to be presented with the Queen’s Nurses award and to be a part of the QNI network! My role provides the perfect opportunity for quality improvement, induction, action learning and training aligning to what 0-19 teams and students need for support in their roles.” – Laura Sanders, Children’s Practice Development Nurse (PDN), South West division. Laura qualified as a paediatric nurse in 2009 and worked as a School Nurse in Hounslow, Richmond and Wandsworth. She is now undertaking the Professional Nurse Advocate course in order to provide restorative clinical supervision.
“Receiving the QNI award has been one of my accomplished desires and means a lot to me. As a Queen’s Nurse I will instil in others to commit to prioritising people, practice effectively, preserve safety while maintaining professionalism and trust. Since caring is at the heart of everything I do, together with the students and staff I teach and assess, I will promote the values of the Queen’s Nurse by ensuring that our patients receive the right and consistent care that will forever remain with them.” Joyce Osei, 0-19 Practice Development Nurse, Outer North West division. Joyce qualified as a Staff Nurse in 1992 in Ghana. Her first post was as a Staff Nurse at Chase Farm Hospital in 2004, and she has been working at CLCH since 2015.
“Being awarded as a Queen’s Nurse is not only a professional but personal achievement for me. Gaining this title has been humbling, as I feel it demonstrates my desire, passion, and loyalty to advocate and empower both colleagues and vulnerable individuals. Knowing that my advice, guidance, and support has assisted and guided in addressing risk, reducing harm, and speaking up for others, has brought a profound sense of fulfilment and deeply rewarding." - Hannah Hosier, Safeguarding Named Nurse, Hertfordshire. Hannah has worked in the NHS for 13 years. She began her career as a community nurse in January 2012 before specialising into Tissue Viability.
“Being able to promote and champion the role of community nursing is a privilege I am thankful for. The Queen’s Nurse title gives me a huge sense of pride. It motivates me every day to work hard to provide the highest level of care l can give to my patients and be a role model to others.” - Victoria Mack, Nurse Lead in Cardiac Rehab, Hertfordshire. Victoria has been working in nursing for 16 years, with the past eight years focused on community based roles within the NHS.
