Her Majesty The Queen hosts a reception for QNIS

Her Majesty The Queen hosted a reception at the Palace of Holyrood house for the Queen’s Nursing Institute Scotland.

Her Majesty met current and former nurses, staff, trustees, supporters, and volunteers, and was presented with her very own Queen’s Nurse badge by QNIS Professional Nurse Lead, Emma Legge.

It was a great privilege for the QNIS to have had the opportunity to introduce its Patron to some of Scotland’s community nurses and midwives, alongside some retired Queen’s Nurses who trained with QNIS prior to 1969.

The QNIS was also pleased to be joined by representatives from some of the organisations and charities it is proud to partner with, including Scotland’s Gardens Scheme, Venture Scotland, and Chance2Change. 

As is always the case when Queen’s Nurses come together, the buzz in the room was fantastic, and many of the guests were able to speak with Her Majesty and share stories about their work.

Queen’s Nurses are spread across Scotland working in a wide range of community settings including care homes, prisons, GP practices, community mental health teams, schools, health visitors, midwives, and in community learning disability teams.

QNIS is incredibly very proud of its long history. Established in 1889 by a generous gift from Her Majesty Queen Victoria to train District Nurses in Scotland, the QNIS has had royal patronage ever since.

Its founders had a vision for promoting health, to enable those living in poverty to access care, to live well, and to die with dignity.

This is a mission the QNIS continues today, and it was lovely to have the opportunity to thank Her Majesty The Queen for her continued support of our work.

Images by Lesley Martin.