Chief nurse presented top honour from Queen

A chief nurse from Stoke Newington whose list of accomplishments includes training the Prime Minister in dementia awareness has formally received her top honour from the Queen, in a ceremony at Buckingham Palace.

Dame Eileen Sills, 52, has been made a Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire at an investiture ceremony that took place on May 21 in the palace’s Ballroom.

She had been awarded the DBE in the Queen’s New Year Honours in recognition of her services to the nursing profession, since she qualified in 1983.

She has been chief nurse at Guy’s and St Thomas’ hospital since 2005 and director of patient experience since 2012, trailblazing with a series of initiatives, including the introduction of Clinical Fridays – increasing the amount of time that senior nurses spend on the frontline – and the weekly Safe in Our Hands forum where nurses and other staff share successes and challenges to improve patient care.

She said: “It feels like the most incredible honour to go to Buckingham Palace to receive this award.

“I enjoyed discussing my nursing career with Prince William and telling him about all the fantastic work going on at Guy’s and St Thomas’. I really would like to thank all my colleagues because this recognition would not have happened without their support.”