Two More Queen's Nurses For Skegness Team

The community nursing team in Skegness can now boast three Queen's Nurses amongst its staff.

Nurses Kayte Willis and Katrina Merifield, who work for Lincolnshire Community Health Services NHS Trust (LCHS), have both been successful in being awarded the Queen's Nurse title by the community nursing charity The Queen's Nursing Institute (QNI).

The accolade allows them to follow in the footsteps of their team leader, Tracy Means, who has held the title since 2012.

The title is not an award for past service, but indicates a continued commitment to the delivery of high standards of patient care, learning and leadership. Nurses who hold the title benefit from developmental workshops, bursaries, networking opportunities, and a shared professional identity.

Case Manager Kayte qualified as a nurse in 2007 and started her career in a minor injuries unit before moving to intensive care. She later moved into the community and has spent the last two years as a case manager. 

She said: "Becoming a Queen's Nurse has meant a great deal to me as this was not only a nomination from my manager, Tracy, but also, and most importantly, from my patients, as they truly believed in the difference I made their lives. As a Queen's Nurse I will endeavour to deliver high quality care to my patients and encourage other community nurses within the team to become involved in the institute and learn from the qualities it encourages us to have."

Staff Nurse Katrina started her career as a health care support worker in 1998 and qualified as a nurse in 2009. Since then, she has worked within the community nursing team. 

She said: "I wanted to become a Queen's Nurse to continue demonstrating my constant compassion, dedication and commitment to high standards of patient care. I hope to be able to extend my skills, not just within patient care but for the next generation of nurses' development. I will continue to hold my head high and be proud to work with community services."

Sue Cousland, Chief Nurse and Director of Operations at LCHS, said: "Congratulations to both Kayte and Katrina. We are very proud to say we have so many Queen's Nurses working with us at LCHS, particularly in Skegness. To have three in one team is testament to the dedication and commitment they give to their patients. Our Queen's Nurses also play an important role in helping us to continue in the development our services. Currently this includes developing a model to provide educational support into care homes, and working on a formula which will ensure the team are able to safely manage the increasingly complex needs of the patients in the community."