Accolades for dedicated Community Nurses
Date of release: 20 October 2023
Five outstanding Community Nurses from Wolverhampton and Walsall have been awarded a prestigious title for their unwavering commitment to patient care.
Tammy Franks, Leigh Dillon, Ami Whiston, Marion Astbury and Kay Crowther have all been made Queen’s Nurses – the highest recognition in their field.
From left to right – Marion Astbury, Tammy Franks, Ami Whiston, Kay Crowther and Leigh Dillon
The title dates back to 1889 and is open to Registered Nurses with more than five years’ experience working in the community.
Leigh Dillon, Senior Matron for Adult Community Services and Primary Care, is responsible for 215 Community Nurses at The Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust (RWT).
One of her biggest achievements is introducing a bootcamp induction programme for new starters which gives participants the foundation skills and knowledge of District Nursing in five weeks.
This programme has seen staff retention improve significantly – going from a 50 per cent vacancy rate to currently no vacancies. Other Trusts have visited the team to recreate its success.
The 37-year-old mother of three, who became a qualified Staff Nurse in 2007, said: “I feel privileged to be selected. It is a real honour. I am proud to represent and showcase our community teams at RWT – community care is such a vital part of the NHS.
“I am so passionate about recruitment and retention within Community Nursing and anything I can do to help raise the profile of their fantastic work is brilliant.”
Leigh’s colleague Ami Whiston, Matron for Care Co-ordination at RWT, has also been announced as a Queen’s Nurse. Ami, 34, has worked in the community since 2012 and completed a masters in primary healthcare in 2020.
She said: “Being awarded a Queen’s Nurse title is very humbling. Throughout my career in District Nursing I have worked alongside Queen’s Nurses and it is something I have always aspired to achieve.
“I am now really proud and pleased to be part of a community with like-minded Nurses who have such passion for community services and providing the best care and service for our patients.”
Marion Astbury, Health Visiting Service Manager at RWT, trained at St Bartholomew’s Hospital, London in the late 1980s. She said: “Tradition and quality was very important at Barts so becoming a Queen’s Nurse feels particularly special.
“I qualified as a Health Visitor 10 years ago and I am passionate about the work we do as health visitors, supporting and empowering families during the ups and downs of the early childhood period. I love my job and feel very privileged to manage the Health Visiting service in Wolverhampton.”
Nicki Ballard, Head of Nursing, Division 3 at RWT, said: “I am immensely proud of Leigh, Ami and Marion.
“The Queen’s Nursing programme is specifically for experienced Community Nurses who have demonstrated and evidenced a significant change in care to improve outcomes for their patients and their families.
“This is formal recognition for the care, quality and dedication provided. It is an honour to have three more Queen’s Nurses within Division 3. Well done.”
Tammy Franks, Neonatal Community Outreach Manager at RWT, was given a Queen’s Nurse award for the care she provides so premature babies can be looked after in their homes.
The 51-year-old, who has been a nurse for 33 years, said: “I am so pleased to receive this award. It reflects the amazing work we are doing in the community getting our youngest patients home safely."
Tracy Palmer, Director of Midwifery and Neonatal Services at RWT, said: ““Well done Tammy – what a prestigious award to receive for your outstanding work in implementing the Community Neonatal Care Outreach service but also for the exceptional nursing care that you provide for to our babies and families at home.”
At Walsall Healthcare NHS Trust, Kay Crowther, Deputy Divisional Director of Nursing – Community, said being awarded a Queen’s Nurse title was the highlight of an incredible year.
The 49-year-old said: “I absolutely love my job and I can’t believe that I have been given this recognition. I am looking forward to connecting with a diverse network of Queens Nurses and then sharing with others.
“I have worked in Walsall Community Nursing for 20 years and in my current position for 12 months. I have been fortunate to have role models who have inspired me and I now hope that I will inspire others to take up a role in Community Nursing. I am also a very proud mum because my daughter started her nurse training last month.”
The Queen’s Nurses will all travel to London on 8 December to be awarded their certificates and badges.
