The Clinical Hub

Career Wins

Real nurses, real carers, doing brilliant things — celebrated properly.

✓ Every name here is from an official award ceremony or NHS trust announcement — never scraped from social media

Recent winners

Nursing

Teresa O'Nwere-Tan

Nurse of the Year — Nursing Times Awards 2025

Advanced Nurse Practitioner, Nexus Health Group / NHS South East London ICB.

Source: nursingtimes.net

Emma Firth

Nurse Leader of the Year — Nursing Times Awards 2025

Practice Plus Group, prison nursing.

Source: nursingtimes.net

Dr Crystal Oldman

Lifetime Achievement — Chief Nursing Officers' Award, Nursing Times Awards 2025

Recognised for a career in district and community nursing.

Source: nursingtimes.net

Beth Dennis

Student Nurse of the Year: Children — Student Nursing Times Awards 2025

Birmingham City University.

Source: nursingtimes.net

Siofra Mckeon Erskine

Apprentice Nurse of the Year (inaugural) — Student Nursing Times Awards 2025

Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust.

Source: nursingtimes.net

Christina Abarno, Cyril Mathew & Martha Stepney

NHS Chief Nursing Officer Award 2025

Healthcare Support Workers, Oxford University Hospitals NHS FT.

Source: ouh.nhs.uk

Recent winners

Care

Heman Kiyanga

Care Home Worker Award — Great British Care Awards National Final 2025

Anchor.

Source: care-awards.co.uk

Endurance Onichabor

Home Care Worker Award — Great British Care Awards National Final 2025

Ivolve Care and Support.

Source: care-awards.co.uk

Nina Stephens

Care Home Registered Manager Award — Great British Care Awards National Final 2025

RMBI Care Co.

Source: care-awards.co.uk

Jill Davies

Leadership Award — Markel 3rd Sector Care Awards 2025

Palliative Care Clinical Lead, DHU Healthcare's Palliative Care Urgent Response Service.

Source: dhuhealthcare.com

Good news, for once

In the news

Real stories from the national and local press — nothing sourced from social media.

Care home staff climb a mountain for residents' comfort fund→

Four staff from Urray House Care Home, Muir of Ord, climbed Ben Wyvis and hosted a community fun day. Ross-shire Journal, 6 June 2026.

Went above and beyond

Carers turn a care home into a place of joy→

Activity staff at The Tilery Nursing Home use humour, animals and crafts to enrich residents' daily lives. Fermanagh Herald, 5 July 2026.

Went above and beyond

Care home staff arrange a 90th birthday surprise→

Staff at Newton House, Newton Mearns, arranged a surprise band and reunited a resident with her son, flown in from Singapore. Barrhead News, 29 January 2026.

Went above and beyond

Straight from the trust

Hospital & trust news

Announcements from NHS trusts' own newsrooms, across all four nations.

Mike Spall-Hancy & Daisy Sandeman

RCN Scotland Nurse of the Year Awards 2026 — finalists

NHS Lothian — sexual health/HIV, and advanced practice at the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh.

Source: news.nhslothian.scot, 26/02/2026

Carolann McLaughlin, Micky Glenn & Marie Donnelly

RCN Northern Ireland Nurse of the Year Awards 2026 — winners, 3 categories

Western Health & Social Care Trust.

Source: westerntrust.hscni.net, 09/06/2026

Melanie Hayward

Liz Baker Award for Excellence in Renal Nursing

Glan Clwyd Hospital — expanded home haemodialysis access. Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board.

Source: bcuhb.nhs.wales

Paula Heycock & Hayley Taylor

RCN Wales Community and Primary Care Nursing Award — winner & runner-up

Swansea Bay University Health Board — transforming heart failure services.

Source: sbuhb.nhs.wales

Madeleine Lee & Cathi Lang

British Journal of Nursing Awards 2026 — nominees

Nutrition and vascular access nurse specialists, Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust.

Source: northumbria.nhs.uk, 23/02/2026

Oxford Health District Nursing Service

HSJ Patient Safety Awards 2026 — shortlisted

Improving Medicines Safety category, for a collaborative insulin-review programme.

Source: oxfordhealth.nhs.uk, 08/06/2026

Denise Fraser

40 years' service recognised

Emergency Nurse Practitioner, Walsall Healthcare NHS Trust — serving since 1985.

Source: walsallhealthcare.nhs.uk, 03/06/2026

Jenny Nops

Lifetime Achievement Award

Clinical Service Matron for Mid and North Hampshire, Hampshire and Isle of Wight Healthcare NHS FT.

Source: hiowhealthcare.nhs.uk, 10/07/2026

Rachael Corser

Appointed Group Chief Nursing Officer

Barts Health NHS Trust, London.

Source: bartshealth.nhs.uk

Sarah Smyth

Appointed Executive Director of Nursing, AHPs & Social Care

Humber Teaching NHS Foundation Trust.

Source: humber.nhs.uk

Nurses in industry

Industry recognition

Nurses working in medical devices, pharma and commercial healthcare — recognised by their own sector's awards, sourced from company and trade-press announcements only.

Hollie Murphy & the Oncology Nurse Advisor Team

Improving Patient Experience Award + Overall Team of the Year — PharmaTimes Nursing Industry Excellence Awards 2026

Lloyds Clinical.

Source: lloydsclinical.com

Dominique Muir

Leadership Excellence Award — PharmaTimes NIEA 2025

IQVIA.

Source: niea.pharmatimes.com

Abigail Morris & Kirsty Bennett

Innovation Excellence Award + Overall Nurse/Team of the Year — PharmaTimes NIEA 2025

Lloyds Clinical.

Source: niea.pharmatimes.com

Caroline McGlynn

Overall Nurse of the Year + Leadership Excellence Award — PharmaTimes 2024

Inizio.

Source: pharmatimes.com

Natalie Bingham, Jade Mickelsen & Hollie Murphy

Innovation Excellence Award + Overall Team of the Year — PharmaTimes 2024

Lloydspharmacy Clinical Homecare.

Source: pharmatimes.com

Good news, for once

In the news

Real stories from the national and local press — nothing sourced from social media.

BEM for a mental health nurse's perinatal support work→

Leanne Howlett, 39, honoured for seven years of mostly voluntary support for families affected by perinatal mental illness. Stratford Herald, 12 June 2026.

Honours

~20 nurses & midwives in the New Year Honours→

Including an OBE for a chief nurse who turned around a "requires improvement" CQC rating. Nursing Times, 9 January 2026.

Honours

Midwifery nurse retires at 83, after 66 years→

Janet Harley started her career in Perthshire in 1959. The Hull Story, 7 May 2026.

Retirement

"Mamma Cath" retires after 60 years in A&E→

Cath Lyon started as a 16-year-old cadet in 1962. The Hull Story, 4 February 2026.

Retirement

Neonatal nurse retires after 41 years→

Sarah Todd cared for "thousands of babies" since 1985. Lowestoft Journal, 16 March 2026.

Retirement

Children's ward sister retires after 50 years→

Kim Ness qualified in 1982 and rose to ward sister. Colchester Gazette, 18 July 2026.

Retirement

Off-duty nurse saves choking diner→

Roxanna Macculloch stepped in while out for lunch with her son. West Coast Today, 11 February 2026.

Went above and beyond

Off-duty nurse helps save café heart-attack victim→

An off-duty nurse and M&S staff performed CPR and used a defibrillator to restart a customer's heart. Gazette & Herald, June 2026.

Went above and beyond

Nurse who had breast cancer joins trial to help others→

Heidi Jones, diagnosed in 2025, now shares her experience with patients going through treatment. ITV News Anglia, 5 May 2026.

Patient advocate

Could be you next

Nursing award programmes

Nursing Times Awards→

The sector's flagship awards — ~25 categories, annual ceremony each October.

Enter

Student Nursing Times Awards→

For student and apprentice nurses — ~24 categories, annual each spring.

Enter

RCN Awards→

Presented at RCN Congress — includes the Award of Merit.

Enter

NHS Chief Nursing Officer Awards→

Rolling recognition for nurses, midwives & support workers who go above and beyond — nominated via your trust.

Enter

Could be you next

Care award programmes

Great British Care Awards→

Regional heats each autumn feeding a national final — the biggest recognition event in UK care.

Enter

Markel 3rd Sector Care Awards→

Recognises charity and not-for-profit care and support providers.

Enter

Plus: many NHS trusts and care providers run their own annual staff awards (STAR Awards, Staff Recognition Awards, "Golden Stars" and similar) — ask your employer what's running.

Your turn

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Been promoted? Won an award? Passed a big qualification? We'd love to celebrate it here.

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