A District Nursing Sister at East Coast Community Healthcare (ECCH) has been awarded the title of Queen’s Nurse by the community nursing charity The Queen’s Nursing Institute (QNI).

Kirstie Websdale works for ECCH’s Lowestoft Primary Care Home team, which is one of four multi-disciplinary teams of nurses, therapists and social workers who care for people in their own homes and can help them to avoid a stay in hospital. 

Kirstie began her career as a Healthcare Assistant in 2005 and registered as an Adult Nurse in 2011, after attending university. She worked for St John Ambulance and Ipswich Hospital prior to joining ECCH. She completed her District Nursing Degree in 2018 and became a District Nursing Sister.

She has recently started a secondment with St Elizabeth Hospice which partners ECCH to provide specialist palliative care to people in Great Yarmouth and Waveney, either in their own home or via bedded care at Beccles Intermediate Care Unit.

Kirstie said: “I feel so honoured to become a Queen’s Nurse. When I found out, I had such a sense of pride to be awarded the title. I am very excited to be able to join our other Queen’s Nurses at ECCH.

“Community nursing is such an important service and so key to people’s recovery because we’re looking after patients in their own homes where we know they recover quicker. It’s a very personal type of care and I feel privileged to be able to help people in this way.”

Kirstie is one of six nurses at ECCH to receive the prestigious title which denotes commitment to high standards of patient care, learning and leadership. It is open to registered nurses with more than five years’ experience working in the community, and the application process requires feedback from patients and managers.

Dr Crystal Oldman CBE, Chief Executive of the QNI said: “Congratulations to Kirstie on achieving the title of Queen's Nurse. She joins a wonderful and supportive national network of nurses who are committed to learning, leadership, and providing excellent care for the people they serve. We look forward to working with her and the other new Queen's Nurses in Norfolk and Suffolk.”

ECCH Chief Executive Ian Hutchison said: “We’re really thrilled for Kirstie. This is a fantastic accolade and very well deserved. She is passionate about ensuring her patients receive the highest quality care and she is a great role model for the nursing profession. We are also delighted that we now have six Queen’s Nurses within our organisation.”

The Queen’s Nursing Institute is a registered charity founded in 1887. There are 60 Queen’s Nurses across Norfolk and Suffolk, and 2,500 in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.