5 December 2023

NHS Borders is delighted to announce that one of our health visitors, Rhona McLeman, has been awarded the prestigious Queen’s Nurse title.

Until six years ago, the Queen’s Nurse title had not been awarded since 1969. However, since its reintroduction in 2017, NHS Borders has had a member of staff selected to be a Queen’s Nurse every year.

As one of 24 community nurses selected by the Queen’s Nursing Institute Scotland (QNIS) this year, Rhona was nominated to join the programme for ‘nurturing connections and realising potential’ in her role as a health visitor.

Rhona was awarded her Queen’s Nurse title alongside the other 23 selected community nurses, health visitors and midwives at a ceremony on Friday 24 November in Edinburgh. At the ceremony, each nurse received a Queen’s Nurse badge, a certificate and a specially commissioned Harris Tweed sash or tie.

On the subject of her award, Rhona said: “I came to the Queen’s Nurse programme in the foothills of my leadership journey; lacking the confidence to step up and not seeing the potential others saw in me. Having been challenged, nourished, encouraged and enabled, I have a deeper sense of myself, my purpose and a confidence to be the change maker I know my community needs.

“I have taken much of the learning back to my team and the wider service and now use many of the techniques learned to nurture the development of others. I have developed the skills and belief to drive forward quality improvement work locally, raising the profile of health visiting whilst also demonstrating where unmet need lies within our communities.”


Peter Lerpiniere, Interim Director of Nursing, Midwifery and Allied Health Professionals at NHS Borders, said: “I would like to say a huge congratulations to Rhona for receiving this prestigious award. I know that she has really embraced the journey to becoming a Queen’s Nurse and is already applying what she has been learning from the programme into her work.

“The process of being accepted onto the programme is never easy, but the hard work and determination Rhona brings to her role as a health visitor makes it no surprise that she has been awarded this title and the fantastic opportunities that come with it.

“Seven nurses from NHS Borders have now been awarded Queen’s Nurse status since the programme was re-established in 2017. It is a fabulous learning and leadership development opportunity and I hope that many more of our community-based nurses will be selected to take part in the programme for years to come.”