Chief nurse and respiratory consultant from West Hertfordshire Hospitals NHS Trust recognised in Queen’s Birthday Honours

A chief nurse and a consultant respiratory physician have been honoured in the Queen's Birthday 2020 Honours List.

Chief nurse Tracey Carter and consultant respiratory physician Dr Matthew Knight have both been appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE).

Tracey, who has been a nurse for more than 30 years, and Dr Knight, both work at West Hertfordshire Hospitals NHS Trust, and they have been recognised for their efforts during and before the Covid-19 pandemic.

The publication of the Queen's Birthday 2020 Honours List was deferred from June this year to recognise the extraordinary efforts of those involved in the response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Dr Knight, who conceived, designed, and delivered a ‘virtual hospital’ to look after patients infected with COVID-19, led a frontline team of doctors, nurses, physiotherapists and admin staff, some of whom were shielding, to safely prevent and reduce hospital admissions through the virtual monitoring of patients’ symptoms

Patients were given a pulse oximeter to monitor their oxygen levels and heart rate at home and were reviewed virtually or on the phone.

Since March 2020 over 10,000 virtual consultations have taken place via the ‘virtual hospital’ which has delivered outstanding care to over 1,250 patients.

It has prevented several hundred admissions and ensured patients felt safe and secure.

The virtual hospital is a ‘first of its kind’ model which can be expanded to cover other illnesses and conditions.

Tracey is highly regarded from ward to board by her peers and the wider nursing community for her leadership, empathy and passion for the job.

Her leadership has helped the trust to better recruit, retain and transform its nursing workforce helping to dramatically reduce the vacancy rate for junior nurses from over 23 per cent to around 7 per cent.

Tracey is very active in helping to identify and support the development of new roles to widen and transform the trust’s nursing workforce. She has championed the introduction of the role of nursing associates which enables healthcare support workers to gain a nursing qualification.

She has put into place a major support programme for nurses and healthcare assistants, introducing leadership and management training for band 6 and 7 nurses which has developed

a leadership pipeline and improved retention.

New nurses and midwifes are now supported in the first year of their role following qualification thanks to an active preceptorship programme launched by Tracey.

She understands what makes frontline staff tick and drives pride within the organisation, looking for opportunities to recognise people’s efforts and to celebrate them.

A champion of diversity, she is committed to improving opportunities for everybody and helped to instigate Black History Month celebrations within the trust.

Trust chief executive Christine Allen said: “I couldn’t be prouder as a CEO to see Tracey Carter and Matthew Knight recognised in the Queen’s Birthday Honours.

"They are the embodiment of our trust values of care, quality and commitment helping our teams to deliver exceptional standards of care to our patients. They are an inspiration to everyone who knows them.”

An MBE most commonly refers to Member of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire, a grade within the British order of chivalry.

Trust chairman Phil Townsend said: “Congratulations to our colleagues! Countless patients will have benefitted over the years from the care, excellence and innovation which Tracey and

Matthew have demonstrated.

"I am immensely proud of them both and delighted that their efforts have been recognised and rewarded in this way.”