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Regional Chief Nurse Siobhan is awarded MBE in Queen’s Birthday Honours

Siobhan Heafield

Siobhan Heafield, Regional Chief Nurse at NHS England and NHS Improvement in the Midlands has been awarded an MBE in the 2021 Queen’s Birthday Honours for services to Nursing and the Covid-19 Response.

Siobhan has been deeply committed to the delivery of high-quality practice and standards and has demonstrated this commitment as a nurse at a clinical and executive level over the past 41 years. She has led quality improvements that have made patient care safer.

During the recent COVID-19 pandemic Siobhan provided exceptional support to Chief Nurses across the Midlands and led the response to COVID-19 outbreaks. She was instrumental in the creation of the Nightingale Hospital in Birmingham. In her role as the Regional Director of Infection Prevention and Control Siobhan led the introduction of a regional ‘Cleaning for Confidence’ campaign to support health care organisations and systems to ensure cleaning continues to be a key priority.

Siobhan’s clinical background as a critical care nurse has proved instrumental during the last year to support the national allocation of equipment for critical care.

Siobhan began her career in intensive care and undertook training at University Hospitals Birmingham. She was the Professional Development Sister across the critical care units before moving into risk management and clinical governance.

Siobhan has previously worked at a regional level as the Deputy Regional Nurse at the East Midlands Strategic Health Authority (SHA) and has held a Director of Nursing position at an NHS community trust. Siobhan joined the NHS Trust Development Authority (TDA) as an Associate Director of Nursing in November 2014 and became NHS Improvement’s Regional Nurse for the Midlands and East in April 2016. NHS England and NHS Improvement merged in April 2019 to become a single organisation to provide better care and outcomes for patients and Siobhan was appointed to the position of Regional Chief Nurse (Midlands).

Siobhan has also held an honorary position at Birmingham University as a Lecturer during 1999 – 2003. One of Siobhan’s proudest moments was when she was invited to speak at the World Congress of Intensive Care Medicine in Sydney, Australia.

Ruth May, Chief Nursing Officer for England, said: “My personal congratulations to Siobhan on this well-deserved recognition of her inspiring career and public service.

“Throughout her career, Siobhan has demonstrated excellent leadership and has been committed to improving patient care and the experience of staff. Over the past year, she has made a significant contribution to the NHS response to the pandemic which has included providing exceptional support to chief nurses across the Midlands and her instrumental role in the creation of the Nightingale Hospital in Birmingham.

“Siobhan embodies the values of the NHS and is committed to delivering exceptional standards of care to our patients.”

Congratulations to all our NHS colleagues across the Midlands recognised in the Queen’s Birthday Honours.

Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) recipients

  • Professor Chuka Uchemefuna Nwokolo, Consultant Gastroenterologist atUniversity Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire NHS Trust for services to the NHS and Medical Research.
  • Professor Mandie Sunderland, former Chief Nurse from Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust for services to nursing.

Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) recipients

  • Dr John Alexander, Consultant Paediatric Intensive Care at University Hospitals of North Midlands NHS Trust for services to Critically Ill Children and Young People.
  • Dr Martin Allen, Consultant Respiratory Physician at University Hospitals of North Midlands NHS Trust for services to the NHS particularly during Covid-19.
  • Mel Coombes, Chief Executive at Coventry and Warwickshire Partnership NHS Trust for services to nursing.
  • Lady Susan Trevor, Vice-President, League of Friends of Robert Jones and Agnes Hunt Hospital for services to Healthcare Charities.
  • Dr Joseph Manning, Clinical Associate Professor in Children and Young People Nursing at Nottingham Children’s Hospital for services to nursing.
  • Dr Maurice Conlon, National Professional Standards Lead and Clinical Adviser to NHS England and NHS Improvement, and GP Partner, Ridgacre Medical Centres (Birmingham) for services to Health during Covid-19.

British Empire Medal (BEM) recipient

  • Nigel Dugmore, Pharmacist at Donnington Pharmacy, for services to pharmacy and the community in Donnington during Covid-19.