TWO nurses in Cornwall have become the latest to be awarded the prestigious title of Queen’s Nurse.

There are now over 35 Queen’s Nurses in the county who have demonstrated a high level of commitment to patient care and nursing practice.

Queen’s Nurses serve as leaders and role models in community nursing, delivering high-quality health care.

The application and assessment process to become a Queen’s Nurse is rigorous and requires clear commitment to improving care for patients, their families and carers.

Aimee Emmett and Caryn Jory both work for Cornwall Partnership NHS Foundation Trust (CFT), with a combined 45 years’ experience in nursing.

Aimee, from Redruth, and Caryn, who lives near Tavistock and covers east Cornwall, will be travelling to London on Monday, June 25 to attend a glittering ceremony and be presented with their title.

The title is not an award for past service, but indicates a commitment to high standards of patient care, learning and leadership.

Nurses who hold the title benefit from developmental workshops, bursaries, networking opportunities and a shared professional identity.

Caryn Jory, who is an epilepsy specialist nurse and works within the Learning Disability Team at CFT, has been nursing for 33 years.

She said: “There are multiple reasons why I became a nurse, mainly because it’s possible to have a wide and varied career. There are prospects for nurses that are exciting and interesting and I wanted a career which allowed me opportunities to grow and develop.”

In recent years Caryn has had a number of research studies into epilepsy published and has presented her findings on a broad-range of subjects, including seizure control; sudden unexpected death in epilepsy; emergency rescue training and patient focused approaches to drug administration in those with a learning disability and epilepsy.

One particular research project of Caryn’s will soon be published by NHS England.

Additional to her role as a Specialist Nurse, Caryn has spoken at many national events, including the National EpilepSy Nurses Association (ESNA) Prescribing Day in 2017.

“I believe that it’s important to take up opportunities to present at events and to take learning from a wider audience, so that we can work to improve the lives of people with a learning disability and epilepsy,” continued Caryn.

“It’s for this reason that I became involved with the South West Epilepsy Nurses group and was invited to join the executive committee of Epilepsy Specialist Nurses Association. Currently I’m also involved with ESNA, in arranging a two day national epilepsy conference.”

Even as a specialist nurse, over 50% of Caryn work still involves going into patients’ homes. “This enables me to identify unmet needs, understand any worries and anxieties that a patient, family member or carer may have, and to develop trusting relationships,” added Caryn.

Aimee, who is the West Team Lead, and a Community Stroke Specialist and Gastrostomy Nurse, has worked as a nurse in the community setting for 12 years.

Dr Crystal Oldman, chief executive of the Queen’s Nursing Institute (QNI), said: “On behalf of the QNI, I would like to congratulate both Aimee and Caryn and welcome them as a Queen’s Nurses. Queen’s Nurses serve as leaders and role models in community nursing, delivering high quality health care across the country. The application and assessment process to become a Queen’s Nurse is rigorous and requires clear commitment to improving care for patients, their families and carers. We look forward to working with Aimee and Caryn and all other new Queen’s Nurses who have received the title this year.”