DAISY award for extraordinary nurses

Nursing Live’s DAISY award for extraordinary nurses

We are thrilled to be working with the DAISY Foundation to launch a Nursing Live award for an
extraordinary nurse. Presented on the main stage on Thursday 6 November, this is an opportunity
to celebrate someone who goes above and beyond their job description every day to deliver
compassionate care.

How to nominate someone for the award

Use this form to tell us about a colleague or team member who deserves recognition for the work they do.

Please note, the nominator for this award must be (or have the support of) a chief nurse, executive nurse director, or the equivalent.

Deadline extended
Nominations close on 5 September.

Award criteria:

Nominee acts as a role model, consistently demonstrating compassionate and clinically competent care, impacting positively on the lives of recipients of care and their families when they are most vulnerable
Nominee exemplifies compassion, empathy, courage and integrity when advocating for recipients of care and their families
Nominee demonstrates excellence in the delivery of care, going above and beyond for recipients of care and their families
Nominee exemplifies the kind of nurse that recipients of care, families and staff recognise as an outstanding role model in the nursing profession

Eligibility:

Nominee must be a registered nurse (NMC)
Nominee can be an existing DAISY honouree
Nominee must not be subject to on-going or previous disciplinary procedures
Nominee must be able to attend Nursing Live at the NEC, Birmingham on Thursday 6 November 2025 to receive the award

The judges

We are hugely grateful to our panel of judges from NAME-UK who will be reading all the nominations and selecting the overall winner.

Jill Ferbrache

Lead nurse - excellence in care and innovation, NHS Grampian

Jill Ferbrache is a facilitator with the Wellbeing and Culture team within NHS Grampian Previously the Lead Nurse for Excellence in Care and Innovation. Jill has a background in quality improvement, coaching, practice education and perioperative practice. Jill is a qualified Nurse and accredited coach and is passionate about staff well-being, quality improvement, digital patient records and excellence in nursing and midwifery practice. Jill is a Scottish Quality Safety Fellow and a LEO facilitator.

Emily Lambert

Lead nurse - Pathway to Excellence, Northampton General Hospital NHS Trust

Emily is a dedicated and accomplished nurse leader with over 12 years of experience working across Northamptonshire in surgical, educational and leadership roles. A passionate advocate for nursing excellence, Emily is recognised for her leadership in the Pathway to Excellence® programme. She led the only successful Pathway to Excellence redesignation in the UK to date, demonstrating her commitment to creating a culture of shared governance, professional development, and excellence in nursing practice.
Currently pursuing a PhD at the University of Leicester, Emily’s academic focus aligns with her professional interests in nursing excellence, workforce wellbeing, and evidence-based practice. She is also a proud Professional Nurse Advocate (PNA), supporting the emotional wellbeing and professional growth of her nursing colleagues.
Emily coordinates her Trust’s DAISY Award programme, recognising extraordinary nurses and midwives, and is a recipient of the DAISY Team Award herself. Her work in promoting compassionate, patient-centred care has been widely celebrated within her organisation and beyond.
In addition to her local and academic commitments, Emily is an active member of the NAME-UK steering group, where she supports the delivery of national webinars and their bi-annual conference, contributing to the wider conversation on excellence in nursing and healthcare leadership.
Through her clinical expertise, leadership, and dedication to nursing development, Emily continues to inspire positive change and innovation in the profession, shaping the future of nursing both regionally and nationally.

Dr Kerry Jones

Vice chair, Nursing and Midwifery Excellence UK

Kerry Jones has over 40 years of experience in nursing and midwifery within the NHS and related sectors, focusing on strategic workforce development, retention, and care excellence. She has held various leadership positions including Senior Nurse Lead for Retention at NHS England—where she led development of the national nursing and midwifery retention self-assessment tool, Director of Education Transformation for Nursing and Midwifery across Coventry University and the Integrated Care System, Programme Director for the first dual Magnet® and Pathway to Excellence® designated organisation outside the USA. Other previous roles have included Faculty Dean & Head of Workforce Development, Regional Director of Leadership, Regional Education Quality Manager, Head of Workforce Re-design, and Policy Manager at the Nuffield Trust.
Kerry is a former Honorary Professor of the University of Nottingham. Her research interests are in strategic workforce development, nursing and midwifery retention, and care excellence. She has led nationally funded research projects and co-authored reports including Mind the Gap and Narrowing the Gap.
Kerry is currently Vice Chair of Nursing and Midwifery Excellence UK and an International DAISY Award ambassador.

Michael Underwood

Senior nurse, pathway to excellence lead & DAISY co-ordinator, Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust

Michael Underwood began his nursing career in 1999 in Hull, working in elective orthopaedics before moving into prison healthcare. In 2001, he relocated to London to work in sexual health and HIV, later becoming Head of Healthcare at Europe’s largest female prison.
At Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust, Michael has led the Pathway to Excellence® programme for the past five years. Under his leadership, Charing Cross Hospital became London’s first acute teaching hospital to achieve Pathway to Excellence designation in 2024. He is now rolling out the programme across all Trust sites. He also introduced the DAISY Award, now embedded across the Trust’s four hospitals and renal dialysis units in North West London.
Michael is passionate about fostering a culture where nurses and midwives feel valued, supported, and empowered.

Caroline Reid

Clinical nurse manager, Royal Aberdeen Children’s Hospital

Caroline Reid is an accomplished Clinical Nurse Manager with over 25 years of leadership experience in paediatric nursing. She currently oversees the Paediatric Specialist, Community, and Home Care teams at NHS Grampian, where she plays a pivotal role in shaping high-quality, patient-centred care.
In addition to her operational leadership role, Caroline serves as the Lead for Nursing, Midwifery, and Allied Health Professions (AHP) Rewards and Recognition. She has been instrumental in the development and successful implementation of a comprehensive suite of recognition programmes across NHS Grampian. This has included a successful partnership with The DAISY Foundation since May 2023, which celebrates extraordinary contributions of the nursing and midwifery teams.
A passionate advocate for staff wellbeing, Caroline is currently pursuing a Master’s degree in Leadership in Healthcare. She firmly believes in the transformative power of recognition and has witnessed first-hand how a culture that celebrates excellence can uplift teams, improve morale, and enhance patient outcomes.

Dr Sue Haines

Assistant director of nursing (education), Institute of Care Excellence, Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust

Sue is Assistant Director of Nursing (Education), Institute of Care Excellence at Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust, a large acute National Health Service (NHS) Trust in England and is Honorary Professor, University of Nottingham, School of Health Sciences and visiting lecturer Nottingham Trent University. Her clinical background is in acute and critical care, before moving into professional development and clinical leadership development. Sue has specific experience and interest in supporting and coaching nurses in career development and inclusive talent management through doctoral research. Post-doctoral research interests include nursing workforce retention, developing nursing careers, late career retention, legacy mentors, student experience, preceptorship and Shared Governance.