Meet four of the RCN Nurses of the Year at Nursing Live 2024
RCN Nurses of the Year 2020-2023
Register for your free ticket and join us at the ACC in Liverpool on 23-24 October 2024. Look at the event agenda and plan your visit to Nursing Live 2024.
The RCN Nurses of the Year from 2020 to 2023 will be taking part in a panel discussion, Inspiring innovation and entrepreneurship in nursing, at Nursing Live on Thursday 24 October.
In this inspiring discussion, RCN Nurses of the Year will discuss the motivations and ambitions which led to their success, the challenges they faced along the way and the advice they'd give to nursing staff wanting to take steps towards change, improvement, entrepreneurialism - or all three.
Read on to find out more how they influenced a change in nursing practice at their organisations.
Julie Roye, RCN Nurse of the Year 2023
Picture: John Houlihan
RCN Nurse of the Year 2023
Julie Roye, head of nursing primary care, East London Foundation Trust
An inspirational nurse who continues to transform care in GP surgeries with her drive to reduce health inequalities was named RCN Nurse of the Year 2023.
Queen's Nurse Julie Roye oversaw an increase in the uptake of smear tests at Cauldwell Medical Centre in Bedford, which saw rates among 25-64 year olds rise from 54% to 80% in nine months, after she helped to break down barriers to access for a diverse patient population.
Click here to read more about Julie Roye's inspirational work
Alison Bunce, RCN Nurse of the Year 2022
Picture: Mike Wilkinson
RCN Nurse of the Year 2022
Alison Bunce, chief executive, Compassionate Inverclyde
Alison Bunce set in train a social movement that taps into the kindness of a community where there are high levels of deprivation and was named RCN Nurse of the Year 2022.
The Queen’s Nurse set up and leads Compassionate Inverclyde, a growing and self-organising collaboration of individuals, faith groups, voluntary bodies and businesses working alongside healthcare professionals to support people in crisis.
Click here to read more about Alison Bunce's inspirational work
Nicola Bailey, RCN Nurse of the Year 2021
Picture: Jonathan Porter/PressEye
RCN Nurse of the Year 2021
Nicola Bailey, contraception project manager, North Bristol NHS Trust
An innovative nurse who set up a clinic to improve access to abortion care in Northern Ireland was named RCN Nurse of the Year 2021.
Nicola Bailey, then a sexual health lead nurse, set up the Rose Clinic in Belfast days after lockdown limited women’s ability to travel to England for terminations. She did this while also cutting waiting times for contraception and dealing with COVID-19 restrictions.
Ms Bailey also went on to receive an OBE for services to healthcare.
Click here to read more about Nicola Bailey’s inspirational work
Ana Waddington, RCN Nurse of the Year 2020
RCN Nurse of the Year 2020
Ana Waddington, founding director, YourStance and rough sleeper outreach nurse, University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
Ana Waddington, at the time an emergency department sister at Royal London Hospital, felt a sense of helplessness at the increasing presentations of young people with knife-related wounds, so decided to set up an organisation to educate and engage those at risk, and was named RCN Nurse of the Year 2020.
She used her own time and money to set up YourStance, which teaches young people at risk of serious youth violence cardiopulmonary resuscitation, basic life support and haemorrhage control, as well as educating them about the potential consequences of knife-related injuries.
Click here to listen to a podcast about how Ana Waddington set up the YourStance outreach programme