Inverness nurse receives prestigious Queen’s Nurse award
A nurse from Inverness is among a group of 21 extraordinary community nurses to have been awarded the prestigious title of Queen’s Nurse.
Paul Rusk, a senior charge nurse at NHS Highland, was selected earlier this year to take part in a nine-month development programme run by the Queen’s Nursing Institute Scotland (QNIS).
The programme consisted of residential workshops, online workshops and individual coaching sessions.
Community nurses and midwives provide a wide range of support to the people in their communities including complex care for older people, support for substance misuse and advocacy for people with learning disabilities. Those working in community mental health, district nursing, school nursing, care home nursing and health visiting are also part of this vital group of health professionals.
After completing the programme successfully, Paul was awarded the Queen’s Nurse title at a ceremony in Edinburgh.
Dr Sarah Doyle, QNIS chief executive and nurse director, said: “Community nurses and midwives occupy a unique position in Scotland’s health service, working as they do in the heart of communities, championing the cause of those who are not heard, helping those facing real adversity. They do extraordinary work, every day. The Queen’s Nurse Development Programme supports participants to build their confidence, inspiring them to find and lead creative responses to the challenges faced by their colleagues and the communities they serve.”
• Sign up for our free newsletters
Queen’s Nursing in Scotland dates back to the late 19th century, when nurses completed specific training which allowed them to work as district nurses to provide nursing care for the ‘sick poor’ of Scotland’s communities. QNIS organised the training of District Nurses in Scotland until the late 1960s. Nurses who qualified from the Institute were known as Queen’s Nurses, they provided healthcare and health promotion to people in their own homes and became well respected figures within their community. Following the introduction of a national certificate for district nursing, QNIS ceased training, awarding the original QN District Nursing title for the final time in 1969.
The Queen’s Nurse title was reintroduced to Scotland in 2017, with around 20 community nurses and midwives chosen each year to embark on the Queen’s Nurse Development Programme (QNDP) after which they are awarded the title of Queen’s Nurses. There are now over 170 contemporary Queen’s Nurses working across Scotland.
