Page 7 - QARANC Vol 20 No 1 2022

Lifetime achievement award for nurse leader Caroline
An Army Reserve Nurse who has undertaken several tours of Bosnia, Iraq and Afghanistan has been honoured with a Lifetime Achievement Award.
Caroline Whittaker RRC OStJ was humbled and delighted to receive the accolade from the Royal College of Nursing in Wales at their virtual event in November, hosted by their director,
Helen Whyley, and BBC presenter Jason Mohammad.
She said: “I left school with no formal qualifications, so for me this award shows that we can all be winners if we work hard and care passionately enough for the people we serve and that above all else, we value the colleagues we work with.”
Caroline’s management, leadership skillsandcommitmenttothenursing agenda have previously earned her the Royal Red Cross and the Order of St John.
Not only is she a dedicated nurse within the armed forces, Occupational Health and academia, she has a wealth of experience and knowledge as a nurse manager, nurse lecturer and quality lead. She is also the Chair of our Welsh Branch.
Caroline has presented at national and international conferences on
Occupational Health and has published work.
Richard Jones MBE, chair of the RCN Wales Board said: “Caroline is an exceptional example of a nurse manager and leader who goes above and beyond their duties, possessing such drive and passion that it takes your breath away.
“It’s amazing how Caroline has fitted so much experience and achievement into just one lifetime, she is an inspiration and a worthy winner of the Lifetime Achievement Award. Congratulations to Caroline.”
The Royal College of Nursing in Wales held its ninth annual RCN Wales Nurse of the Year Awards in a fabulous virtual ceremony on 10 November 2021.
You can watch the video at www. rcn.org.uk/wales/get-involved/awards (Caroline’s award is at 15 minutes).
The Gazette QARANC Association 7
Plus, that time she commandeered a bus!
CAROLINE shared an amusing story about herself with Welsh Branch colleagues at an event last year, which Diana McCrae has kindly summarised here.
She said, “The incident occurred as Caroline was returning home by bus following an evening out. Following a stop to let passengers on and off the driver was seen to get on and off the bus several times looking very concerned and confused.
“On investigating, Caroline discovered there was a man on the ground bleeding heavily. She sprang into action, her army and nursing experience becoming evident. First aid was rendered with very
limited resources available, and an ambulance was summoned, but they were told none could attend for several hours, despite a heavily bleeding casualty.
“The driver meanwhile was on to his company to explain the situation when Caroline took over the call and told them that she was commandeering the bus to take the casualty to hospital!”
Passengers were asked to disembark, and the bus proceeded to A&E where the casualty was discharged into hospital care.
Diana added, “Caroline then had the problem of how to get home. Luckily the bus driver delivered her and her partner to the door. The
story raised much laughter at the Branch as we could all picture the incident as the story unfolded.”
The story is a good example of Caroline’s commitment to others, even when officially off duty. Well done, Caroline.