News archive 2009

CBE for Head of Nursing School

05 Jan 2009, PR 01/09

The Head of the Florence Nightingale School of Nursing & Midwifery Professor Anne Marie Rafferty has been recognised in the New Year’s Honours List alongside a list of distinguished Britons for her exceptional services to healthcare.

Professor Rafferty received an Order of the British Empire: Commander (CBE). Malcolm Lowe-Lauri, Honorary Fellow of King's College London and former Chief Executive of King's College Hospital Foundation Trust, was also recognised for services to the NHS. Other prominent British citizens to receive awards include medal winners from the Beijing Olympics, heroes of the July 2005 London attacks and Britain’s emergency services staff.

'The modern nurse is crucially important in influencing healthcare delivery,' commented Professor Rafferty.  'Nursing is a dynamic, intellectually demanding and technologically sophisticated profession and we need to keep the focus on developing leading edge nurses of the future to further drive quality healthcare for the future. I’m delighted to receive this honour as part of these ongoing efforts.'

Actor Michael Sheen, who played Tony Blair in the Oscar winning film The Queen, received an award for services to drama; comic fantasy novelist Terry Pratchett for services to literature; and Lewis Hamilton, the first Briton to win the Formula One championship since Damon Hill in 1996, for services to motor racing.
 
Exceptional achievement

British honours are awarded on merit, for exceptional achievement or service. Nominations are sent either by government ministers or by members of the public and are assessed by eight committees of senior civil servants and independent experts. A final list is submitted to the Queen through the prime minister for formal approval. The honours are published in the London Gazette, the official Crown newspaper.

The Orders of the British Empire were created by King George V in 1917 to reward services by civilians at home and servicemen in support positions during the First World War. They are now awarded mainly to civilians and service personnel for public service or other distinctions. Other honours include life peerages, knighthoods and gallantry awards to servicemen and women and civilians.

Royal Red Cross

In August 2008, former King’s nursing student Major Janet Pilgrim was awarded the Royal Red Cross for her exceptional treatment of soldiers in Iraq during one of the heaviest periods of militia activity in Basra since 2003.

Founded by Queen Victoria in 1883, the Royal Red Cross is confined to the nursing services and was first awarded to Florence Nightingale for her work during the Crimean War.

[Image by David Tett]



Notes to editors

The Florence Nightingale School of Nursing & Midwifery                    
The Florence Nightingale School of Nursing & Midwifery at King’s College London is the number one Nursing and Midwifery School in London (2009 Times Good University Guide) and is highly regarded by leading London NHS Trusts with links to industry, health services and policy makers. The Florence Nightingale School of Nursing & Midwifery develops leading-edge nurses and midwives of tomorrow – practitioners, partners, and leaders in their field. 

Studying at King’s College London, one of the top 25 universities in the world, the School’s graduates are highly sought after nationally and internationally, with:
• exemplary care and clinical skills
• professional attitudes
• policy awareness
• intellectual rigour and self-confidence

Based in a prestigious Russell Group University, the School is also at the forefront of health services, policy and evaluation research.  For more information on studying at the School, email nightingale@kcl.ac.uk

King's College London
King's College London is one of the top 25 universities in the world (Times Higher 2008) and the fourth oldest in England. A research-led university based in the heart of London, King's has 19,700 students from more than 150 countries, and 5,400 employees. King's has an outstanding reputation for providing world-class teaching and cutting-edge research. The College is in the top group of UK universities for research earnings and has an overall annual income of approximately £450 million. An investment of £500 million has been made in the redevelopment of its estate.

King's has a particularly distinguished reputation in the humanities, law, social sciences, the health sciences, natural sciences and engineering, and has played a major role in many of the advances that have shaped modern life, such as the discovery of the structure of DNA. It is the largest centre for the education of healthcare professionals in Europe and is home to five Medical Research Council Centres, a total unsurpassed by any other university.

King's College London and Guy’s and St Thomas, King's College Hospital and South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trusts are working together to create a world-leading Academic Health Sciences Centre (AHSC). Our AHSC brings together an unrivalled range and depth of clinical and research expertise, spanning both physical and mental health. Our combined strengths will drive improvements in care for patients, allowing them to benefit from breakthroughs in medical science and receive leading edge treatment at the earliest possible opportunity. For more information, visit www.londonsahsc.org



Further information
Laura Musgrave, Communications Officer (Florence Nightingale School of Nursing & Midwifery)
Email: laura.musgrave@kcl.ac.uk
Tel: 020 7848 3062



Next:
King’s and Somerset House join forces
Time Magazine Top Ten
New interaction for Breast Cancer Gene
Booker prize winning novelist at King’s
New lung function genes discovered

Previous:
Review of the King's year
King’s shows way for London Leaders
2008 RAE results
£1.5m to study symmetries of the universe
Honorary recognition for King’s


This information is provided by the Public Relations Department
Tel: 020-7848 3202  Fax: 020-7848 3739  Email: pr@kcl.ac.uk