Luminary

Impact Awards

The annual RCN Foundation Impact Awards recognise excellence in nursing and midwifery throughout the UK. They are a celebration of the exceptional work undertaken by nurses, midwives and healthcare support workers that takes place every day. 

Impact Award Winners 2025

Our seven inspirational award winners for 2025 were selected from nurses, midwives, and healthcare support workers whose RCN Foundation education grants have supported them in enhancing their practice and creating an outstanding contribution to patient care throughout the UK. 

For each award winner, there are many thousands of nursing and midwifery staff who continue to provide exceptional care, day in and day out, in different settings. These awards are also a reflection on the extraordinary contribution that nursing, and midwifery makes to our nation’s health and wellbeing. 

Alice Henery  

Meet Alice, winner of the RCN Foundation Into Nursing Award for outstanding achievement in student nursing. 

Alice received a grant to support her MA in Nursing (Children and Young People) at the University of Salford. Today, she works on an oncology and haematology ward at Manchester Children’s Hospital. Alice’s journey into nursing was shaped by her early experiences as a domiciliary care assistant, support worker, and live-in carer. The Into Nursing grant proved instrumental in easing financial pressures, enabling her to fully dedicate herself to her studies. Looking ahead, Alice aspires to become a specialist nurse and continue making a meaningful impact in children’s healthcare. 

Andrea Patterson

Meet Andrea, winner of the RCN Foundation Award for Neurological Rehabilitation and Care for outstanding achievement in Advanced Practice in neurological rehabilitation and care.

Andrea is an Acute Outreach Sister at the Princess Royal Spinal Cord Injury Centre in Sheffield and has devoted over three decades to shaping the field of spinal cord injury (SCI) nursing. In 2022, Andrea was awarded an RCN Foundation grant to pursue a Postgraduate Certificate in Neurological Rehabilitation. This opportunity enriched her expertise, enabling her to refine her care practices. The course deepened her knowledge of person-centred care and neurological rehabilitation, which Andrea has since applied to adapt her strategies, ensuring evidence-based, high-quality care for SCI patients.

Tsitsi (Tee) Penicela   

Meet Tee, winner of the RCN Foundation Trevor Clay Award for outstanding achievement in nursing and midwifery.

Tee’s nursing journey has been driven by her passion for enhancing care for older people, particularly in care homes. In 2021, she received an RCN Foundation grant that enabled her to pursue a master’s in research at King’s College London, focusing on service improvement and person-centred care in care homes. Her ground-breaking research, the first of its kind in the sector, sought to bridge the gap between theory and practice in person-centred care.

Tee now applies her findings by designing staff training programs and supporting staff assessments, ensuring care is inclusive of residents and rooted in person-centred values. With her work soon to be published, Tee looks forward to furthering her impact through conferences and publications, continuing to shape better care practices and make a lasting difference in the sector. 

Queenie Mae Narciso

Meet Queenie, winner of the RCN Foundation Deliveroo Education Fund Award for outstanding achievement by a nurse working in the NHS.

Queenie is a Staff Nurse at the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) of the Royal Free Hospital in London. In 2023, she received a grant from the RCN Foundation to pursue a Level 7 Advanced Physical Assessment course, which significantly enhanced her clinical skills, particularly in patient assessment and the early detection of critical conditions in critical care. Since completing the course, Queenie has been promoted to Band 7 Clinical Nurse Specialist for the Patient at Risk and Resuscitation Team (PARRT). She credits the RCN Foundation grant as a pivotal moment in her career, fostering her growth as a reflective, patient-centred practitioner and leaving a lasting impact on both her professional journey and the care she provides.

Emma James

Meet Emma, winner of the RCN Foundation LV= Award for outstanding contribution to health and social care by a healthcare support worker.

Emma is a Macmillan Colorectal Cancer Care Coordinator at Wirral University Teaching Hospital. Observing the significant mental health impact of cancer on patients, Emma received a grant to pursue a Level 3 Certificate in Counselling Skills. The grant enabled Emma to advance her professional development and provide more advanced psychological support, influencing her team’s holistic approach to patient care.

Now pursuing a Level 4 qualification in Therapeutic Counselling, Emma is on the path to becoming a qualified counsellor, seamlessly combining her expertise in cancer care with her passion for mental health support.

Stephanie Lindsay 

Meet Stephanie, winner of the RCN Foundation Olufunke Adeyeye Professional Development Award for outstanding achievement by a nurse from the Global Majority. 

Stephanie, a Clinical Nurse Specialist for Looked After Children (CIC) in London, received an education grant to support her Professional Doctorate Programme in Advanced Practice and Research in Social Work and Social Care. This grant has been pivotal in advancing her career and research efforts. The funding enabled Stephanie to launch a research project focusing on the experiences of foster carers caring for young children with developmental delays—an area overlooked in existing studies. Her research enhances her understanding of paediatric nursing, social care, and child welfare, empowering her to provide better support to vulnerable children and their careers.

Chloe Taylor

Meet Chloe, winner of the RCN Foundation Leathersellers’ Award for outstanding achievement in supporting children and young people’s mental health.

Chloe is a Neonatal Sister and Neonatal Risk and Governance Lead in West Yorkshire, committed to supporting families with newborns in neonatal care. In 2024, Chloe received a grant to pursue a Trauma Informed Care course, designed to deepen her understanding of the emotional impact on families in neonatal care. Through this course, she achieved accreditation, empowering her to integrate trauma-informed care into her practice and train her team to do the same. This approach addresses the psychological effects of neonatal care on both parents and children, aiming to reduce the lasting trauma many families experience.