Samantha Preston, is a Community Macmillan Clinical Nurse Specialist, Sharon Rolfe, a Case Manager and Cheryl Day, a Matron have all been awarded the prestigious title of Queen's Nurse, by community nursing charity The Queen's Nursing Institute (QNI).
The title is not an award for past service, but indicates a commitment to high standards of patient care, learning and leadership. Samantha will soon be celebrating 30 years of working in the NHS. Her career started in 1986 when she undertook her nurse training. Throughout the past three decades she has worked at Boston Pilgrim Hospital in general surgery, as a Community Nurse, as a Team Lead at Mablethorpe and as a Case Manager. She has recently taken up a new position as Community Macmillan Clinical Nurse Specialist in Mablethorpe. Samantha said: "I wanted to become a Queen's Nurse to show my commitment to community nursing, to improve patient care and maintain quality standards to benefit and make a difference to patients' lives." She added: "My focus for the rest of this year is on the challenges of my new role. I will be supporting patients in need of palliative and end of life care and will also be taking an educational role involving training other members of staff. It is a really rewarding position - very interesting but challenging."
Sharon has been working in community nursing for almost six years, having qualified in 2009. She was promoted to Case Manager in January and is enjoying her new role which sees her leading a team in Mablethorpe, dealing with more complex cases and helping families with palliative care. Sharon said: "I always received positive feedback for going above and beyond for patients through working to the best of my ability. I feel that being awarded the QN title is recognition for this. "My 12-year-old son thought the title meant I would be treating the Queen but he's still excited for me after realising what it does entail!" She added: "My hope, through the title, is to explore additional support for patients suffering from leg ulcers. I want to be able to encourage social engagement as they are often isolated patients who only see visitors when we come to treat them."
Cheryl is a Matron specialising in infection prevention. She said: "Being recognised as a Queen's Nurse is an honour and one which has the potential to raise the profile of specialist nurses, many of whom are often the unseen catalysts for the delivery of safe, clean care across so many facets of healthcare. The Queen's Nurse network offers a great deal in terms of sharing knowledge, skills, experience and commitment - all values I am keen to share." Cheryl started her NHS career in 1992 at the age of 34, having previously followed a career in veterinary medicine. She has since worked in a range of disciplines, including general medicine, general surgery, theatre, mental health services and A&E, always with a focus on infection prevention. She currently works as Infection Prevention and Control Lead Matron for LCHS, where she has been for six years. Her role sees her supporting community hospitals and services countywide, giving expert advice on how to help protect patients, staff and visitors from the spread of infection. Cheryl has also recently been awarded a Masters degree in Infection Prevention. She added: "For me, 2014/15 will be a year to remember for all the right reasons!"
Sue Cousland, Chief Nurse and Director of Operations at LCHS, said: "Our growing team of Queen's Nurses at Lincolnshire Community Health Services are rightly recognised for the contributions they make to patient care and the development of our future nurses and leaders. We are very proud to be involved in the QNI network and offer our best wishes and congratulations to them all for their achievements."