The Hull Hub Issue 22

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News
University of Hull nurse honoured with Queen’s Nurse title
A University of Hull nursing academic
has been honoured with the prestigious
title of Queen’s Nurse by The Queen’s
Nursing Institute.
The title of Queen’s Nurse is awarded to
individual nurses who have demonstrated
a high level of commitment to patient
care, learning and leadership.
Nurses, health visitors and midwives with
5 years’ experience working in and with
the community are eligible for the title.
The Queen’s Nursing Institute is the oldest
professional nursing organisation in the
UK and believed to be the oldest nursing
charity in the world.
Heather Pepper, a lecturer in acute care
nursing at the University of Hull, said: “I
am both delighted and humbled to have
been awarded the title of Queen’s Nurse. It
means so much to me – and I really want
to thanks all my colleagues in the Faculty
of Health Sciences at the University who
have helped me achieve this.
“For me, it has always been an honour and
a privilege to work with the community but
equally it has been clear there is still much
work to be done to support our communities
in relation to nursing and patient care.
“I hope that as a Queen’s Nurse I can continue
to raise the standards of nursing
care, support the local community including
student nurses, nurses and practice
partners as well as promote excellence in
practice.
“As a committed nurse being acutely
aware of both primary and secondary
care, my aim is to continue to bridge the
gap between primary and secondary care
and raise our standards, not only supporting
our student nurses but also supporting
our nurses and practice partners to continue
the amazing work they do.”
Heather, who attended an official awards
ceremony in London this month, qualified
as a registered nurse in 2008, specialising
in critical care until 2014 when she made
the change to community nursing as the
lead practice nurse for a local GP surgery.
Throughout this time Heather, worked in
primary care and in academia at the University
of Lincoln, joining the University
of Hull in 2019. Here – with the support
of the team in the University’s Faculty of
Health Sciences – Heather continued her
work with the community, students and
practice partners.
Heather, continues to work closely with
the community often working shifts and
volunteering as a girl guiding leader, but
mainly providing education, support and
leadership to Hull’s nursing community
and practice partners.
Heather also has a keen research interest
in Genomics – which is the study of a person’s
genes (the genome), including interactions
of those genes with each other and
with the person’s environment. Heather
works towards integrating this research
into her practice in the community to
help support patients, develop faster and
quicker diagnosis and support nurses to
deliver the highest quality of nursing care.
Dr Crystal Oldman CBE, Chief Executive
of the QNI, said: “On behalf of the QNI I
would like to congratulate Heather Pepper
and welcome her as a Queen’s Nurse.
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 Heather
and all other new Queen’s Nurses who
have received the title this year.”
Heather said: “The awards evening was a
wonderful display of recognition towards
the Queen’s Nurse title and the hard work
required.”
From Our Community
Hessle tidal defence scheme wins national award
The £11m Hessle Foreshore Tidal Defence
Scheme, which was built to reduce
flood risk to 4,000 homes and
businesses in Hessle and west Hull,
was named Civils Project of the Year at
the National Constructing Excellence
Awards 2022.
The East Riding of Yorkshire Council
initiative won its Yorkshire and Humber
regional heat and then beat over
five other large-scale construction
schemes from across the country to
win the top national title.
The Constructing Excellence awards
honour the very best construction
schemes in England and Wales. They
were held at a ceremony in London.
The innovative scheme at Hessle is a
direct response to a tidal surge in December
2013, which caused 300 properties
to be flooded across the East
Riding.
It aims to reduce future flood risk to
residents in the area from predicted
high tides caused by climate change.
The project involved the construction
of new and upgraded defences, with
the most visual part being a 1m-high,
465m-long glass and concrete wall
along Cliff Road.
Construction began in January 2020
and was completed earlier this year.
Councillor Chris Matthews, the council’s
portfolio holder for environment
and climate change, said: “This award
is a fantastic achievement and shows
the council is leading the way nationally
in the creation of flood defence
schemes and infrastructure.
“The Hessle Foreshore scheme is doing
what it’s designed to do and will help
to shield thousands of residents and
businesses in this area from flooding at
high tides in the Humber Estuary.”
The council was presented with the
award alongside the scheme’s delivery
partners Mason Clark Associates, Tilbury
Douglas, National Highways and
Esh.
Constructing Excellence is one of the
leading national organisations for the
construction industry, promoting high
standards and working in partnership.
Alison Nicholl, head of Constructing
Excellence, said: “This project embodies
the values and ethos of Constructing
Excellence, demonstrating
the value of collaborative approaches
to overcome challenges and ultimately
deliver better outcomes.”
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