First winner of new Queen’s Nursing Institute award is announced
The first winner of a new award which honours the memory of a longstanding council member of a charity dedicated to improving the nursing care of people in their own homes and communities has been revealed.
Michelle Bateman, the chief nurse of Derbyshire Community Health Services NHS Foundation Trust, is the first winner of the William Rathbone X Award for Excellence in the Executive Nurse Leadership of Community Nursing Services by the Queen’s Nursing Institute (QNI).
The award was presented to Michelle at a ceremony at the Wellcome Collection in London last week.
Steph Lawrence MBE, chief nurse of Leeds Community Healthcare and GP Federation, was highly commended.
The presentations were made by Dr Crystal Oldman CBE, the QNI’s Chief Executive, and by Nick Addyman, QNI Council Member, representing the Rathbone family.
Michelle Bateman QN said: “I am both honoured and humbled to be the first recipient of this award.
“Community nursing is and will always be my passion.
“Thank you to my incredible colleagues who inspire me every day and thank you to my mother who is a nurse and will always be my role model.”
Dr Crystal Oldman CBE said: “I am delighted to be able through this new award, that the QNI is able to recognise the exceptional contribution of a remarkable executive nurse who is an outstanding role model, a credit to the nursing profession – and as a Queen’s Nurse, a credit to the QNI too.”
Michelle was one of 11 nurses nominated for the award.
The nominees were:
Michelle Bateman, Derbyshire Community Health Services NHS Foundation Trust
Jenny Bostock, The Grange Practice
Sarah Browne, Hertfordshire Community NHS Trust
Veronica Cleland, South Eastern Health & Social Care Trust
Carol Irish, London Borough of Newham
Steph Lawrence MBE, Leeds Community HealthCare and Leeds GP Confederation
Anne-Maria Newham MBE, Nottinghamshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust
Nicki Patterson, South Eastern Health & Social Care Trust
Mandy Rayani, Hywel Dda University Health Board
Charlie Sheldon, Central London Community Healthcare NHS Trust
Keeley Sheldon, Nottinghamshire Healthcare Trust
The presentation was held following the inaugural William Rathbone X Lecture, given by Professor Alison Leary MBE, who spoke on the highly topical subject, ‘Thinking differently about nursing workforce challenges.’
Professor Leary is a QNI Fellow and Director of the QNI’s International Community Nursing Observatory, and Chair of Healthcare and Workforce Modelling at London South Bank University.
The lecture will be recorded and made available for viewing online via the QNI website.
William Rathbone OBE was a member of the Council of the Queen’s Nursing Institute from 1974 until his death in December 2022.
As a great-great-grandson of the founder of District Nursing, William Rathbone VI, he continued a long family tradition of philanthropy and public service of international renown.
His name was familiar to community nurses throughout the United Kingdom and abroad.
For 24 years from 1974, William Rathbone was Vice-Chair of Council.
He served on the Remuneration Committee and the Nomination Committee and was also a member of the Finance and General Purposes Committee for many years.
He attended most QNI Awards Ceremonies and public events, and as such was a very visible connection with the proud history and tradition of community nursing in the UK.