The annual Queen’s Nursing Institute (QNI) Awards Ceremony was held on Friday 29 November, celebrating the exceptional work of over 500 nurses and their contributions to healthcare, by awarding one of the most prestigious awards in nursing. The event awarded efforts across nursing such as services, education, innovation, and leadership, as well as highlighting how vital nurses are to the healthcare system, in light of the shortages of staff in healthcare.
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In total, 13 awards were presented including academic prizes, leadership programmes, and nurse-led innovation projects. Presented by Dame Elizabeth Anionwu, nurse, professor and healthcare administrator, as well as Order of Merit and Lifetime Achievement award holder – this year over 500 nurses were awarded the Queen’s Nurse title, bringing the total of Queen’s Nurse’s in the UK to over 3,500.
‘I would like to congratulate all award winners and welcome them to our family of leaders in all fields of community nursing, in education and in practice. Queen’s Nurses serve as leaders and role models in community nursing, delivering high quality health care across the country,’ said Dr Crystal Oldman CBE, QNI Chief Executive. ‘We look forward to working with all the new QNs in the coming years, supporting you to deliver the very best care to people of all ages in their homes and communities.’
The importance of nurses in health and social care had been highlighted in response to the Prime Minister’s 10-year plan to fix the NHS, and the aim to shift healthcare from treatment to prevention. With recent news of the overcrowding in hospitals, long waiting lists, and staff shortages, there has been a call for further investment into nursing to achieve the goals set for the NHS.
‘To achieve his plan, the Prime Minister needs to join the dots between hitting NHS targets and solving the crisis in nursing. We deliver the vast majority of care, but our workforce is severely depleted and recruitment is collapsing,’ said Patricia Marquis, Executive Director of RCN England. ‘A fairly paid and safely staffed nursing workforce would transform care and positively impact the lives of millions.’