Caroline and Jess receive professional excellence awards
Two of our nursing leaders have been presented with NHS England’s new badges for professional excellence.
The awards were presented in person by NHS England’s Chief Nursing Officer Ruth May to Chief Nurse Caroline Alexander and Royal London Hospital Senior Sister Jessica Anderson, who received a gold and silver badge respectively.
As part of a wider commitment to recognising the value of nurses and midwives, Ruth May introduced silver and gold Chief Nursing Officer badges in January this year. These are awarded to nurses or midwives in recognition of those who have “excelled in their performance”.
Caroline received her award for an exceptional, significant contribution by an individual with a distinguished career in nursing and midwifery.
Caroline has a career in nursing spanning over 30 years. She has specialised in nursing older people in Scotland and in London. In 2004 she took up her first Director post and is currently the Chief Nurse for Barts Health. In 2008 she was a Florence Nightingale Leadership Scholar.
Senior Sister Jess Anderson from AAU at the Royal London Hospital received a silver badge for her role in challenging the public’s perception of modern nursing. Jessica gained global public support after Guinness World Records claimed the nurse's scrubs she ran in for the 2019 London Marathon did not meet their criteria for a nurse’s uniform.
The hashtag #WhatNursesWear was trending in England over the weekend, as people took to social media in support of Jess.
As a result, Guinness World Records reviewed their criteria and awarded Jessica with the Guinness World Records title for the fastest marathon wearing a nurse’s uniform.
NHSE Chief Nursing Officer Ruth May said to Jessica: “You really challenged the image of nursing. Part of what you did was leave a legacy that the nursing uniform has to change, and it’s something that really connected with me. Thank you for your nursing leadership and for what you did for our profession.”