A nurse who works in south Cumbria has been honoured with the title of Queen’s Nurse.
Sharon Robinson, a Clinical Nurse Specialist (CNS) in the Community Team at University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay NHS Foundation Trust (UHMBT), has achieved one of the highest accolades in her profession.
She has been awarded the title of Queen’s Nurse (QN) for demonstrating an exceedingly high level of commitment to patient care and nursing practice.
Sharon, who is also an Advanced Nurse Practitioner (ANP), received her Queen’s Nurse Award during an online awards ceremony on December 13.
The Queen’s Nursing Institute (QNI) supports innovation and best practice to improve care for patients. It believes that one way to do this is to bring together Community Nurses who share common values with the shared title of ‘Queen’s Nurse’.
Dr Crystal Oldman CBE, Chief Executive of the QNI, said: “On behalf of the QNI I would like to congratulate Sharon and welcome her as a Queen’s Nurse.
“Queen’s Nurses serve as leaders and role models in community nursing, delivering high-quality health care across the country. The application and assessment process to become a Queen’s Nurse is rigorous and requires clear commitment to improving care for patients, their families and carers. We look forward to working with Sharon and all other new Queen’s Nurses who have received the title this year.”
Sharon said: “I wasn’t expecting to become a Queen’s Nurse at all. In August of this year, we were told that there were more than 1,300 applicants. When I heard that there were so many applicants, I resigned myself to 2021 not being my year. Then I heard from the QNI and I was absolutely delighted.
“It’s a lovely role to hold, I feel privileged and proud to influence quality and safety of care in the community. It recognises the commitment of all community nurses, which is something I am truly passionate about. My hope is that this will inspire nurses to consider nursing in the community to support individuals in need of care and support.
“I have such huge respect for our frail and older patients – I always have done since I was a little girl. I was brought up to value older people and to care for them. They have so much to share and you can learn such a lot from them. It’s so nice to have a conversation about their life and to learn about all of the things they have achieved. They are so appreciative of the care they receive and we have lovely conversations together.
“There aren’t any nurses in my family, but when I was a child in the Brownies I did my ‘Hostess Awards’ and volunteered at a care home. I was about seven years old and I think my love of nursing stemmed from that. Providing care became my passion and I never looked back.”
Covers areas such as Kirkby Lonsdale, Arnside and Milnthorpe
Sharon, who works in the East Integrated Care Community Team covering an area including Kirkby Lonsdale, Sedbergh, Bentham, Ingleton, Milnthorpe and Arnside, began her nursing career in 1989 and she has been in her current role with UHMBT for three and a half years.
Sharon provides care to patients in the community, primarily in reaching out to care homes working in partnership with GPs, district nurses and other community teams.
Working with care home staff and patients is one of the highlights of the job for Sharon: “The teams in the care homes are amazing – it’s a real joy to work with them, it is they that deserve the highest recognition for the compassionate person-centred care they provide. We step into their world to support them.”
“Understanding what a person wishes is hugely important,” says Sharon. “It’s about their dignity and making sure that what the person wishes is captured, including some information about them as a person.”
Over the last two years, Sharon has also worked in the trust’s Intensive Care Unit (ICU) to support the response to the COVID-19 pandemic, drawing on her previous clinical expertise of being an ICU nurse in her earlier nursing career.
Sharon said: “My husband is delighted and really proud of me. He’s been very supportive. This award is as much an honour and testament to the wonderful kindness of my family, friends and colleagues. I couldn’t have achieved this award without the support of everyone.
“I feel so privileged to work alongside people who are truly inspirational. Our enthusiasm and commitment to supporting patients to receive care at home remain our constant focus. We are all passionate about ensuring safe, person-centred care for the community.”
Moved to UHMBT in 2014
Sharon did her nursing training in Calderdale and worked in Airedale for many years before moving to UHMBT in 2014. She worked in primary care, ICU, A&E and safeguarding nurse positions before taking a post in the community team.
Sharon said: “Community nursing is an opportunity to bring my ICU and A&E clinical skills into the community to help prevent hospital admissions. Often I can identify patients who could be looked after safely at home instead of being admitted to hospital. If a patient wishes to stay at home, I will do all I can to provide the best and safest care at home”.
One of the care home managers that Sharon works with encouraged her to put in an application to be a Queen’s Nurse. The application involved a large piece of written work on her role, including reflective pieces.
Tracey Bindloss, General Manager of St Gregory’s House at Preston Patrick near Milnthorpe in Cumbria, said: “During the COVID-19 pandemic and a devastating outbreak within the home, Sharon was quite literally a guiding light.
“Sharon not only supported us each and every step of the way, she also anticipated areas we would need support in during the forthcoming weeks and months, something we were simply unable to do whilst switching to the firefighting response mode we were required to do.
“Sharon fought our corner, our residents’ corner and those of their families and the reality is she literally changed the outcome for many. There was professional support given readily which was always her focus, but more than this there was the support of her fellow colleagues.
“Somebody who knew where you were at just at that moment in time. To put it simply, a lifeline who scooped the staff up at their lowest points, reminded them that they could manage this – that the team could manage this. We will all be forever grateful and forever indebted to her during this time.
“As a nurse, Sharon’s clinical knowledge astounds us. She has the utmost respect for the work we do and tells us this and, yes, we need that feedback, especially when dealing with such a crisis as a COVID outbreak.
“Sharon epitomises the role of a Queen’s Nurse. She truly did enter a lifetime vocation; she was born to nurse, born to teach other nurses and, most importantly, has changed patient outcomes for the better through both her own practice and the guidance of the practice of others. She has done all this whilst maintaining one of the highest levels of professionalism we have ever come across.
“To gain 100% trust, 100% respect and 100% enjoyment from those you work with as an external support worker to a nursing home is quite simply in our mind an outstanding achievement that deserves recognition. We for one can’t thank her enough.”
Sharon ‘very inclusive’
The daughter of one of Sharon’s patients, who wishes to remain anonymous, said: “Sharon is very inclusive and I shall be forever grateful that she included me and my brother in a multi-disciplinary team (MDT) meeting to discuss our mum’s care.
“Sharon went to great lengths to ensure my mum’s needs were foremost in all discussions and that the care plan addressed her needs. She did a full medical assessment on behalf of the GP who could not attend the meeting. She was incredibly knowledgeable and made excellent recommendations for my mum’s health care.
“I have felt involved and included in my mum’s care and I felt supported and reassured that Sharon was caring for me, as a carer, as well. Sharon admirably demonstrates the values and professionalism expected of a Queen’s Nurse.”
Lynne Wyre, Deputy Chief Nurse for UHMBT, said: “I would like to congratulate Sharon on this great achievement. It is something to be justifiably proud of as there is such a stringent process involved in achieving this award. It’s always fantastic to have a Queen’s Nurse on the team!”
