Joanne Duxbury and Nicola Crombleholme of Bury's Urgent Community Response team are made Queen's Nurses, and the service is up for a university award.
Two nurses from Bury’s Urgent Community Response Service have been given the Queen’s Nurse title, one of the oldest forms of recognition in community nursing.
Joanne Duxbury and Nicola Crombleholme are employed by the Northern Care Alliance and work in the service it runs with Bury Council. The council announced the awards on Thursday 15 October.
The service itself has also been shortlisted for the University of Manchester’s External Partner of the Year award. Both awards will be presented at separate ceremonies in November.
What the team does
The Urgent Community Response Service is the team that comes out when someone is unwell or has fallen at home and might otherwise end up in hospital. The council says it provides:
- a rapid response service
- an emergency falls response
- Hospital at Home care
The Northern Care Alliance’s page for the Bury rapid response team says it responds within two hours of an appropriate referral. It can then provide care for up to 72 hours before passing people on to community health or social care services. Referrals come from health and social care professionals, not directly from the public. The team is based at Textile Hall on Manchester Road.
Its university shortlisting is for teaching. The council says the nomination recognises the placements the service gives medical students.
What a Queen’s Nurse is
The title is awarded by the Queen’s Institute of Community Nursing (QICN), the charity known until 2025 as the Queen’s Nursing Institute. It goes to nurses, health visitors and midwives with at least five years in community, primary or social care who show “a high level of commitment to patient care and nursing practice”.
The name goes back a long way. The charity traces its origins to 1887, when Queen Victoria granted £70,000 from the Women’s Jubilee Fund to train district nurses. From 1889 to 1968 “Queen’s Nurse” was a qualification for district nurses. The QICN brought it back in 2007, after a gap of 40 years, as a title for experienced community nurses.
Queen’s Nurses join a national network with a development programme, bursaries and a regional group.
What the council said
Councillor Tamoor Tariq, Cabinet Member for Adult Care, Health and Public Service Reform, said the service “plays a vital role in helping residents receive the care they need at the right time and in the right place, often preventing unnecessary hospital admissions”.
“To see Joanne and Nicola recognised through the Queen’s Nurse Award, while the wider service is also acknowledged for supporting the education of future healthcare professionals, is something everyone involved should be immensely proud of,” he said.
What it means for you
If an older relative in Bury has a fall or a sudden decline at home, their GP, district nurse or social worker can refer them to this team. The aim is a visit within two hours and care at home, rather than a trip to A&E.
We will add the result of the University of Manchester award after the November ceremony.
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