We are delighted to announce that our operations manager, Caron Sanders-Crook, has been awarded the title of Queen’s Nurse by the Queen’s Nursing Institute (QNI).

The QNI is the UK’s oldest professional nursing organisation, and possibly also the oldest nursing charity in the world. It awards the honorary title of Queen’s Nurse to registered nurses and specialist community public health nurses who demonstrate a high-level commitment to patient-centred values and to improving nursing practice. Individual candidates are assessed by a panel on the evidence in their application and feedback provided by their managers and patients.

Caron is now entitled to use the title of Queen’s Nurse in recognition of her outstanding contribution to nursing over the last thirty-five years. After training as a nurse in Wolverhampton at the start of her career, Caron has since worked in many health and social care settings and has, most recently, specialised in residential, nursing and dementia care. Currently she is an operations manager for Canford Healthcare, with responsibility for four care homes in London and the south-east.

As well as many other professional memberships, Caron is a member of the Chief Nursing Officer-Adult Social Care (CNO-ASC) Nursing and Care Advisory Group for the first ever appointed CNO for Social Care. Earlier this year she was asked to take part in the (then) Minister of State for Social Care – Round Table Discussion with Helen Whately – Women’s Call for Evidence in developing the first Women’s Health Strategy for the UK. Caron is a member of the Chief Nursing Officer – Adult Social Care (CNO-ASC) Covid-19 Legacy Social Care Group, raising the profile of professionalism and resilience in the social care sector and sharing best practice during the pandemic. She is also the author of Amazon best-seller Behind The Smiles, a no-holds barred exploration of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and its devastating impact on individuals and families, based on her personal experiences.

A delighted Caron says: “This is an amazing honour in recognition of my contribution to nursing. I am so pleased and proud to have been recognised. I also feel honoured to be a part of such an inspiring and innovative community.”