Next generation of Nightingales honoured with unique professional award

Exceptional nursing and midwifery staff from Guy’s and St Thomas’ have been celebrated with a unique professional award inspired by Florence Nightingale.

This year the Nightingale Award was presented to 135 nurses, midwives, nursing assistants, maternity support workers, healthcare assistants and nursing associates. 

To receive the award recipients must provide evidence from their managers, peers and people they care for of their outstanding practice and how they daily demonstrate the Trust’s values. They also have to complete a programme of academic work credited by King’s College London or Coventry University.

Named in honour of pioneering nurse Florence Nightingale, who established her first professional nursing school at St Thomas’ Hospital in 1860, the award is unique to Guy’s and St Thomas’. Since launching in 2017, a total of 690 individuals have successfully achieved the award.

Aimee Pack, a senior staff nurse in urology, said: “I am very proud to have achieved this historic award. It is something I have aspired to achieve from the beginning of my undergraduate training almost 8 years ago, and it represents a very special achievement for me both personally and professionally.”

Mary Oladipo is the first senior nursing assistant in Evelina London’s health visiting team to receive the Nightingale Award. She said: “This award has reinforced the significance of my role and the impact of the work I do each day. It has encouraged me to reflect more critically on my practice, to continually improve, and to deepen my understanding of empathy and teamwork. This recognition affirms that my contributions are both seen and valued. It has also inspired me to pursue excellence and continue developing professionally.”

Daliya Thomas, a practice educator in the transplant unit at Harefield Hospital, said: "Receiving the Nightingale Award is truly an honour. As a practice educator on a transplant unit and an internationally educated nurse myself, it means so much to support others in adapting, growing in confidence, and delivering safe, compassionate care. This recognition also reflects my commitment to upholding our Trust values and the principles of the Nightingale pledge in everything I do."

The latest cohort were presented with the coveted engraved badge and certificate during the Trust’s Nursing and Midwifery Week celebrations.

Liz Allibone, Head of Nursing for the Nightingale Academy at Guy's and St Thomas’, said: “We are incredibly proud of Florence Nightingale’s legacy and these awards named in her honour provide an opportunity to formally recognise and celebrate the impact of high-quality patient care and leadership. Our Trust is the only place in the world where nursing and midwifery staff can receive this prestigious award. Not only does it strengthen their confidence, it also supports them to pursue further academic study and encourages career progression.”