To celebrate the 75th anniversary of the founding of the NHS, Nursing Times has compiled a list of 75 nurses and midwives who have contributed in a significant way to the service or are rising stars.
We will be publishing the names of those on our list in alphabetical order in groups of 15 each day over the next few days, so be sure to look out for announcements on social media or in your daily newsletter.
We know we can never fully pay tribute to all those that have made an impact on the NHS since 1948 and continue to do so each day in every setting and specialty.
However, we hope our list can go some way to representing the great work and contribution of the nursing and midwifery professions in our NHS.
46. Debra Moore
Consultant nurse and independent advisor – a highly experienced leader in the field of learning disability nursing, she was one of the first consultant nurses working within the National High Secure Service for Learning Disabilities (Rampton). She has also been an advisor to the Department of Health and a member of the Ministerial Task Force for Learning Disabilities.
47. Dame Yvonne Moores
Now retired, she is the only person to have been chief nursing officer of three different countries in the UK – Wales, Scotland and England. During her tenure, she secured ministerial commitments for the first ever quality framework for the NHS and the introduction of nurse prescribing.
48. Gwen Moulster
Independent consultant nurse – one of the four consultant nurses responsible for the development of the national Health Equalities Framework for services for people with learning disabilities, in the wake of Winterbourne View, and co-created the Moulster & Griffiths model for learning disability nursing.
49. Diane Murray
Former deputy chief nurse and associate chief nurse for Scotland. She had a significant impact on reducing hospital mortality rates and led work to enshrine safe staffing levels in law. Also led efforts to support social care in Scotland during the pandemic. Recipient of the Chief Nursing Officers’ Lifetime Achievement Award at the 2022 Nursing Times Awards.
50. Dr Joan Myers
Independent consultant – she has over 35 years’ experience as a nurse leader, consultant and educator in community children’s nursing services across London. She has worked as an influential advisor at a national level, including five years as chair of the chief nursing officer for England’s BME Strategic Advisory Group, which provides strategic advice to support equity issues.
51. Benash Nazmeen
Assistant professor in midwifery, University of Bradford – a midwife who has dedicated her career to addressing health inequalities in maternity services and committed herself to improving services for women and colleagues. She is also director and co-founder of the Association of South Asian Midwives and a trustee for the Iolanthe Midwifery Trust.
52. Pippa Nightingale
Chief executive, London North West University Healthcare NHS Trust – having joined the NHS in 1994 as a maternity support worker, she became a midwife, a consultant midwife, director of midwifery and then chief nurse at Chelsea and Westminster Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, before being appointed to her current role leading a trust in 2021.
53. Professor Peter Nolan
Former psychiatric nurse and nursing historian – he spent more than 50 years working in mental health services in the UK and abroad. He is credited with writing the definitive history of mental health nursing.
54. Professor Ruth Northway
Highly respected learning disability nursing leader and academic who retired earlier this year after a career spanning four decades. She was the UK’s first professor of learning disability nursing, while at the University of South Wales, and received the Chief Nursing Officers’ Lifetime Achievement Award at the Nursing Times Awards in 2018.
55. Crystal Oldman
Chief executive, Queen’s Nursing Institute – highly-respected leader of the organisation that awards Queen’s Nurse status. She worked in the NHS for 18 years, the majority of which was in the field of community nursing, working with some of the most deprived communities in west London, before spending a similar period in education.
56. May Parsons
Associate chief nurse, Buckinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust – Filipino-British nurse who was chosen to deliver the first Covid-19 vaccination in the world outside of clinical trials on 8 December 2020 while working as a modern matron for respiratory services at University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire Trust.
57. Nicki Patterson
Former deputy chief executive and executive director of nursing, midwifery and allied health professions, South Eastern Health & Social Care Trust – recently retired, she had a passion for providing the highest quality of care for patients. Starting as a staff nurse in Belfast in 1987, primary care and older peoples’ services have been reshaped across Northern Ireland under her leadership.
58. Shirla Philogène
Author and retired nurse – she moved to Essex from St Vincent and the Grenadines in 1959, aged 18, to train as a nurse. Her book – Between Two Worlds – was published in 2008 and launched by the Royal College of Nursing, as part of the 60th anniversary of the NHS. It describes her experience as a nurse from the Windrush generation, including the prejudice she faced.
59. Hazel Powell
Deputy executive director of nursing, Swansea Bay University Health Board – a nurse who has worked with children, adults and older people. As a leader, she has promoted learning disability nursing at national levels, notably through senior advisory roles to the Scottish and Welsh governments.
60. David Pugh
Assistant locality manager for South Gloucestershire, Sirona Health and Care – transforming the way district nursing practice and education is viewed and supported nationally. Former chair of the National District Nursing Network and recipient of the Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother Award for Outstanding Service by the Queen’s Nursing Institute.
Important thank yous
With thanks to our sponsors: Burdett Trust for Nursing, Chiesa, Ramsay Health Care, Bangor University, University of East London and Birmingham City University.
With thanks to the following for their advice on the Nursing Times NHS 75 impact list: the Queen’s Nursing Institute, Association Continence Advice, Association of Respiratory Nurse Specialists, Neonatal Nurses Association, Thomas Currid, Jim Blair, Gwen Moulster, Helen Laverty, Chris Hart, and Fran Davies.
And that’s not all!
You can find out tomorrow who the next group of nurses and midwives are on our NHS 75 impact list.
You can also read more of our coverage on the NHS 75th anniversary by visiting our dedicated web page. There you will find news, features, videos, opinions, reflections and much more.
In addition, be sure to look out for the next print issue of Nursing Times, which is a special edition on the 75th anniversary of the NHS.