The Courier & Advertiser (Perth and Perthshire Edition)
Queen’s Nurse title returns as 20 workers gain honour
Twenty community nurses have been awarded the title of Queen’s Nurse, marking the first time the honour has been made in Scotland for almost 50 years.
They were selected to take part in a nine-month development programme run by the Queen’s Nursing Institute Scotland (QNIS) for their high quality, compassionate nursing care.
Among the recipients are a midwife working with asylum seeking mothers in Glasgow, a nurse caring for people in police custody in Edinburgh and an advanced nurse practitioner on a remote Orkney island.
Clare Cable, chief executive and nurse director of QNIS, said: “These 20 exceptional individuals can be deservedly proud of being awarded this prestigious title.
“From the late 1880s, Queen’s Nurses were social reformers who were taking public health into people’s homes to help families take better care of themselves.”
Queen’s Nursing in Scotland dates to the late 19th Century, when nurses trained at institute sites across the country, until 1969.
The decision to reintroduce the title to Scotland in 2017 followed a precedent set by sister organisation the Queen’s Nursing Institute, which represents the rest of the UK.
Ms Cable added: “The modern Queen’s Nurses are building on this proud heritage – sharing this pioneering spirit to improve the health and wellbeing of the communities of Scotland.
“Their roles vary, from bringing care to some of society’s most vulnerable and marginalised groups to supporting people in mental distress or end of life care.”