Two Stockport nurses have received some of the top nursing awards in the country for their outstanding work in caring for people in the community.

 Donna Davenport and Andrea Harris are both specialist nurse practitioners in Stockport, and have each received the Queen’s Nurse award which recognises the best in community nursing across the UK.

Donna has been in nursing for over 39 years now, and has been based in primary and community based nursing in Stockport since 1996. She has previously worked with a number of GP practices and is also a senior lecturer at Manchester Metropolitan University on GP practice nursing. She is now a district nurse facilitator; supporting training, education and continuing professional development for eight district nursing teams across the Stockport area.

Andrea Harris has been in nursing for 35 years, and for the last 18 of them she has been a district nurse in the Stockport and Macclesfield areas. She is now matron for district nursing in the western areas of Stockport, organising and providing leadership for nurses caring for patients in the community across the area.

Both have attained the title of Queen’s Nurse due for their achievements in lifelong learning, exemplary leadership and high standards of practice and patient care.

The Queen’s Nurse title is from the Queen`s Nursing Institute, a national charity dedicated to improving nursing care in the community. It honours 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.

Margaret Malkin, Director of Integrated Care at Stockport NHS Foundation Trust which runs district nursing said “I’m really delighted that Donna and Andrea have received the title of Queen’s Nurse. Their nursing colleagues and students have told how both of them have really helped them through difficult and stressful times, particularly during the current pandemic. In both proving leadership and in supporting colleagues to learn and progress in the jobs that they love, they’re a crucial part of the outstanding care which our district nursing teams provide to patients and their families in the community.”