SWANSEA: ‘Pinch me moment’ for nurse of 37 years honoured at Westminster Abbey

A Swansea Bay nurse with 37 years of service has walked in the procession at Westminster Abbey’s Florence Nightingale commemorative service, in what she called a “pinch me moment”.

Nicola Lewis, Swansea Bay’s deputy head of nursing for specialist community services, was invited after completing scholarships with two national nursing foundations.

Her role covers a team of nurses working across Swansea and Neath Port Talbot, including at HMP Swansea, integrated sexual health services and community bowel and bladder services.

The first opportunity came during a secondment at Health Education and Improvement Wales, when she applied for a leadership scholarship with the Florence Nightingale Foundation, which develops nursing and midwifery leaders across the UK.

“I was one of four nurses from Wales who was awarded a place for the Florence Nightingale Scholarship which ran over an 18-month period,” she said.

“I was very proud to be awarded a place. During that time, I was able to reflect and develop my leadership skills and qualities through a variety of experiences and networking.”

A second scholarship followed with the Foundation of Nursing Studies, a five-day residential experience looking at developing person-centred cultures of care, “which has become my passion”.

Nicola spent 37 years as a nurse within the organisation, 33 of them in children’s services, and said the scholarships gave her the confidence to step into her current role when the post came up.

She has since delivered workshops for Academi Wales, which provides leadership development across the Welsh public service and has invited her back for three further sessions, along with sessions in Swansea Bay and other health boards on team culture, morale and psychologically safe spaces.

“We have our organisational values, but I think when we work so closely with people, as we do in healthcare, we must also look at our own values and beliefs and how they can translate into behaviour and attitudes,” she said.

“But most of all you have to understand yourself because you are at the core. I think it is about having a bit of self-awareness, respect, integrity and listening to others, which helps to build a good, positive culture.”

Alongside the Abbey service, Nicola was invited to speak at the Foundation of Nursing Studies symposium at Kensington Palace, with nurse leaders from across the UK in attendance.

“It was a pinch me moment and I felt very proud as a nurse to be able to contribute and represent Swansea Bay,” she said. “I got to share my experience and tell my story which was lovely.”

Karen Gronert, deputy group nurse director for primary, community and therapies, said the service group was very proud of all Nicola had achieved, adding that her commitment to improving both patient care and staff experience was “just part of what makes her a great leader”.