William Rathbone X Award for Executive Nurse Leadership

The William Rathbone X Annual Award for Excellence in the Executive Nurse Leadership of Community Nursing Services.

William Rathbone X served as a Council member of the Queen’s Nursing Institute from 1974 until his death in 2022. He had a lifelong commitment to nursing in the community, and this Award is named after him.

This Award gives recognition of the impact of strategic nursing leadership, including support for colleagues and positive outcomes for patients.

Eligibility

Nurses working for not-for-profit providers of NHS-funded community health services including: integrated community and Mental Health trusts, integrated hospital and community trusts, local government and social care in England, Wales and Northern Ireland are eligible for nomination.

Nurses in commissioning organisations, integrated care boards, central government, or single unit healthcare providers such as individual nursing homes or hospices, are not eligible. If you have a query about eligibility, please contact us.

Nominations

Nomination criteria include:

• Evidence of the nominee’s contribution to the national agenda for community nursing or the wider care at home sector
• Achievements of the nominee in the delivery of excellent nursing services in the organisation
• Evidence of these achievements, such as:
  – CQC (or equivalent) ratings
  – figures from employee feedback programmes
  – group work or networks your nominee is actively participating in
  – examples of influencing policy, practice or service delivery.

How to nominate

Nominations for the 2024 award are now closed.

Chief Nurses/Directors of Nursing can be nominated by Chief Executives of provider organisations. Nominators are asked to keep their nominations confidential.

Nominations will be assessed by a panel including QNI staff and trustees, and external assessors.

Award winners

The Award was presented for the first time in 2023, to Michelle Bateman, Chief Nurse of Derbyshire Community Health Services.

William Rathbone X (1936-2022)

William Rathbone X – the X denoting that he was the tenth member of his family to bear the name – was a great-great-grandson of the founder of the QNI, William Rathbone VI.  Mr Rathbone was a member of the Council of the QNI from 1974 until his death on 31 December 2022 and was Vice-Chair of Council for 24 years. In 2009 he was awarded the Gold Badge of the QNI and in 2012 he was made an OBE for his charitable services. During his career he was also chief executive of the charity RUKBA, and involved with nine charities as a trustee or advisor. Read more about William Rathbone VI and the history of district nursing on our sister site, QNI Heritage.

Thank you

The award is being funded by a generous donation from Lucy and Nick Addyman, Mr Rathbone’s daughter and son-in-law (also a QNI Trustee).