Queen’s Nurse title honour for Adele

Being awarded the title of Queen’s Nurse has left one Lincolnshire nurse feeling ‘over the moon’.

Adele Parsons, Primary Care lead nurse for Lincolnshire Community Health Services NHS Trust (LCHS), has been given the prestigious title by community nursing charity The Queen’s Nursing Institute (QNI).

The title reflects a commitment to high standards of patient care, learning and leadership.

Adele explained: “I am over the moon to get this title. It means a lot to me and it seems fitting to receive it in The Year of the Nurse.

“I never wanted to be a nurse when I was younger. I wanted to be a teacher, but after a six month teaching exchange in France, I returned to the UK and my family encouraged me to apply to do my nurse training.

“I qualified in 1996 and in 24 years there aren’t many jobs I haven’t done. Being recognised as a Queen's Nurse is an honour and one which I hope can help to raise the profile of general practice nursing as a rewarding career.”

Adele has worked in acute hospitals, including Accident and Emergency departments, bereavement support and intermediate care, and as a practice nurse within GP surgeries.

Her current role with LCHS, which she started in April in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, sees Adele working with The Sidings GP Practice in Boston and Spalding GP Surgery, which are both managed by the trust.

Adele, who lives near Tuxford, Nottinghamshire, added: “Community nursing is challenging and the way Primary Care services have responded to such fast-paced change during the covid-19 pandemic has been incredible. They are a professional, motivated and agile workforce.

“Nurses in Primary Care have a huge amount of knowledge, talent and specialist training and in my role with LCHS I get to meet nurses every day who are talented and inspirational.”

Dr Crystal Oldman CBE, chief executive of the QNI, said: “On behalf of the QNI I would like to congratulate Adele 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 Adele and all other new Queen’s Nurses who have received the title this year.”