Professor June Andrews, Director of the University of Stirling’s Dementia Services Development Centre, has been awarded a Fellowship by the Royal College of Nursing (RCN).
It is the RCN’s highest honour - awarded to RCN members who are registered nurses in the UK who have made an exceptional contribution to nursing and/or health care. Since 1976 fewer than 160 UK nurses and midwives have been awarded this honour, which permits them to use the letters FRCN after their name.
Professor Andrews received the title from Dr Peter Carter, Chief Executive and General Secretary of the Royal College of Nursing, at a ceremony at the RCN’s headquarters in Edinburgh today (Friday 22 August).
Professor Andrews - a trained nurse - said she was delighted to receive the honour.
“It’s a wonderful endorsement for me personally, but also great recognition of the wider team at our Dementia Services Dementia Centre in Stirling. Staff work incredibly hard to support professionals, carers and people with dementia.
“We want to help people around the world deal with the impacts of this terrible disease. The Centre’s work, over the past 25 years, has helped improve the design of care environments, influenced public policy on dementia and helped make communities more dementia friendly. We have achieved a lot – but there’s still much more to do.”
Dr Carter said: “RCN Fellowships are only given to those who have made exceptional contributions to nursing and to the RCN and have demonstrated truly innovative and pioneering work in their field. Professor June Andrews today adds her considerable authority and outstanding leadership and lifetime achievements to the prestigious RCN Fellowship Roll of Honour. Her lifelong motivation as a nurse has been to articulate and enhance the value of nursing and I am therefore delighted to be here in Edinburgh today to present her with her RCN Fellowship.”
Professor Andrews - who grew up in Saltcoats, Ayrshire - has worked as a nurse, trade union leader, NHS manager and senior civil servant. During her career she has also been recognised with the Founders Award of the British American Project of which she is a Fellow, and was awarded the Robert Tiffany Award by the Nursing Standard for her international work.
She has considerable experience in management of change in health services, having set up and directed for three years the Centre for Change and Innovation, in the Scottish Executive Health Department. In 2012, she was presented with the Chief Nursing Officers’ Lifetime achievement award at the Nursing Times Awards. More recently, she led a review into nursing practices at two hospitals in Wales.
Stirling Professor June Andrews with her family after the RCN Fellowship ceremony in Edinburgh. Pictures by Tony Marsh.
Notes for editors
- Background information
DEMENTIA SERVICES DEVELOPMENT CENTRE AT STIRLING
The University of Stirling is internationally recognised for its research based work to improve services for people with dementia and their carers for a quarter of a century and the work is supported by a charitable trust, the Dementia Services Development Trust. The Trust is celebrating its 25th anniversary this year. Find out more about the Dementia Services Development Centre at the University of Stirling: www.dementia.stir.ac.uk
THE ROYAL COLLEGE OF NURSING
The Royal College of Nursing (RCN) is the voice of nursing across the UK and is the largest professional union of nursing staff in the world. The RCN promotes the interest of nursing staff and patients on a wide range of issues and helps shape healthcare policy by working closely with the UK Government and other national and international institutions, trade unions, professional bodies and voluntary organisations. Find out more at www.rcn.org.uk