It was International Nurses Day (IND) on Tuesday 12 May and QEII Hospital pulled out all the stops to show the love for our dedicated nursing colleagues.
The day kicked off with a warm welcome by the executive team with spin to win coffee vouchers and sunflower seedling giveaways on offer, followed by morning tea, the ever-popular pat-a-puppy attraction, and the hospital’s local awards event.
Speaking at the International Nurses Day Awards Ceremony, Acting Director of Nursing Melissa McCusker, and Acting Executive Director Melody Mitchell said the IND 2026 theme Our Nurses. Our Future. Empowered Nurses Save Lives highlights the positive impact of an empowered nursing workforce.
"Every day, nurses save and improve lives. This year's theme highlights the vital role our nursing workforce plays in improving health outcomes and delivering the kind of trusted, person-centred primary care that transforms health systems and addresses global health challenges."
From 156 nominations, awards were presented to the following category winners:
- Lifetime Achievement - Anne Chiverall
- Nurse of the Year - Antony Kocheril
- Nurse of the Year - Emily McLellan
- Excellence in Research - Grace Xu
- Excellence in Education - Renee Langridge
- Nursing and Midwifery Quality Initiative of the Year - Richa Virdi
- Team of the Year - Ward 5B
- LOVE (Living Our Values Every Day) - Breanna Ralph and Alysha Nukse
Congratulations to this year's awards winners and a big thank you to all our wonderful nurses at QEII.