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RCN Foundation 15th Anniversary logo featuring a large star with the number 15 inside, smaller stars surrounding it, and the tagline '15 years of strengthening nursing and midwifery and advancing care'. Make a Donation

Damehood for Chair of the RCN Foundation!

We’re thrilled to announce that the Chair of the RCN Foundation, Professor Jane Cummings, has been made Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire (DBE) in His Majesty the King’s 2025 Birthday Honours. 

Dame Jane has been recognised for her voluntary services to national charities that support nursing, midwifery and health and social care, having spent her 45-year career supporting and strengthening nursing and midwifery at local, regional and national level. 

Influence

With board-level experience in the NHS and voluntary sectors since 1999, Dame Jane was appointed as the Chair of the RCN Foundation in 2019 and was also a Trustee of the Foundation’s subsidiary charity, the COVID-19 Healthcare Support Appeal (CHSA), between 2020 and 2023. 

In 2019, Dame Jane retired as Chief Nursing Officer for England, a role she had held since 2012, and during which she developed and published the 6Cs of Nursing – a set of core values and expectations of nurses and midwives, which continue to be included in nursing degree curricula today. Dame Jane is also the Deputy-Chair of NHS Gloucestershire ICB.

Chair

Dame Jane has led the RCN Foundation during two significant periods – the COVID-19 pandemic and the cost-of-living crisis – providing robust and visionary leadership. Since her appointment as Chair, Dame Jane has overseen the distribution of over £11 million in grant funding through the two charities.

Dame Jane said: “I am absolutely delighted and humbled to receive this award which reflects the impact of the work undertaken by the RCN Foundation to support nursing and midwifery, and to improve the health and care provided by our professions. I am grateful to all the people involved in my nomination. This recognition reflects the wider contribution of the organisations, communities and people that I work with as Chair of the RCN Foundation. It is a real privilege for me to be able to contribute to supporting and strengthening the professions and to improving health and care outcomes across the UK. This honour is also a recognition of the impact of the RCN Foundation, through its ongoing work to support nursing, midwifery, health and social care.”

Deepa Korea, Director of the RCN Foundation said: "Jane has had a long and illustrious career in nursing. In taking up the role of Chair of the RCN Foundation, she exemplified her continued desire to make a positive, long-term difference to nursing, midwifery, health and social care in the UK. Since 2019, during her tenure as Chair of the RCN Foundation and founder Trustee of the COVID-19 Healthcare Support Appeal, the Foundation has directly supported over 23,000 nursing, midwifery and other health and care staff. The grants awarded focussed on hardship, education, research projects and mental health support. Her steadfast commitment and dedication to helping the most vulnerable members of the health and care professions. 71% of the individuals we supported faced significant financial hardship. The Foundation is incredibly fortunate to have Jane leading it. This recognition is thoroughly deserved and is a testament to Jane’s dedication to making a positive difference.”