Sheffield community nurse presented with national title for patient-centred care

A community nurse from Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust has been officially presented with her Queen’s Nurse accolade.

District team leader Rachael Gill collected her award from Dame Elizabeth Anionwu, Queen’s Nursing Institute Vice President and Patron of the Mary Seacole Trust at an awards ceremony in London on December 8.

Rachael, who has worked in community nursing services for 20 years, is among 564 nurses to have been given the prestigious title this year. The Award follows a rigorous application process.

Queen’s Nurses work in every community specialism in the country and support the ongoing work of the Queen’s Nursing Institute.

They are trusted and valued by the people they serve and respected and admired by their peers, and often participate in policy development, at a local, regional and national level.

Rachael is a specialist community practitioner, who has spent the last eight years working for the Southey district nursing team. The team provide nursing care to vulnerable patients in their own homes in the Southey ward, one of the most deprived areas of the city.

Rachael Gill, district team leader at Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, said: “I am delighted to have been presented with this prestigious award. Queen’s Nurses demonstrate a clear commitment to improving care to patients, their families and carers. In accepting this title, I look forward to providing learning, leadership and improve care and reducing health inequalities. I would also like to acknowledge the work of my team, whose vision and clear focus on excellent community care is at the heart of everything we do.”

Professor Chris Morley, chief nurse for Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, said: “I am immensely proud that Rachael has been selected to serve as a leader and role model in community nursing. Queen’s Nurses carry a mark of excellence, so it is an honour for the Trust, to see her contribution to Community Nursing officially recognised through this award.”

Helen Chapman, head of Integrated Community Care at Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, said: “I am thrilled that Rachael has officially received her Queen’s Nurse Award. Her dedication to her patients, staff, colleagues and the service is inspiring, and we look forward to seeing how the programme develops her nursing excellence.”