A Tavistock community nurse and her four colleagues are celebrating the awarding of a prestigious national title recognising their high standards of care.

Emma Fovargue and the team have been granted the title of Queen’s Nurse by The Queen’s Institute of Community Nursing.

The esteemed title recognises a commitment to high standards of patient care, learning, leadership and nursing practice in the community.

The Queen’s Nurse (QN) is available to individuals demonstrating high levels of commitment to their craft.

Emma Fovargue, long-term conditions matron, said: “The Queen’s Nurse title shows how committed I am to community nursing, ensuring that I don’t just provide task-orientated care but that the patient is the pivotal in everything we say and do.”

Emma works closely with the Tavistock NHS community nursing team and lives in the area.

She said: “As a Queen’s Nurse I hope to show my team and the wider community how passionate I am in delivering the best care in the right place for our patients and their carers.”

Bobbi Grace-Gill, district nursing practice facilitator, said: “The Queen’s Nurse title is the chance to learn from the incredible, inspirational nurses within the Queen’s Institute of Community Nursing (QICN) and draw from their wealth of knowledge and experience.”

Emma Congdon, specialist community public health nurse and child protection supervisor, said: “Becoming a Queen’s Nurse has long been an aspiration of mine. I feel I have reached a stage in my career where I have learnt so much from each experience I have had as a health visitor, which has shaped the practitioner I have become.

“I am passionate about sharing my experiences whilst promoting personal and professional development of staff and students, all alongside a professional commitment to delivering excellence in community nursing as a health visitor.”

Sarah Gray, district nurse specialist, said: “I’m so proud to have been awarded this title and to be able to join a network that shares a commitment to improving practice and making things better for patients and our nursing teams.

“Becoming a Queen’s Nurse feels like the next step on the district nursing pathway and a natural progression to sharing and collaborating with others and continuing to evolve my practice.”

Vikki Cotton, health improvement manager, said: “I’m delighted and humbled to receive this honour.

“The Queen’s Nurse Institute has forums and pathways to improve the health of marginalised groups- and I hope to both learn and contribute to this.”

Shona Cornish, nursing professional lead for Livewell Southwest, which provides NHS community nursing, said: “This recognition is a testament to their unwavering commitment to delivering high-quality, compassionate care and their dedication to improving the health and wellbeing of our communities.”

The Queen’s Nurse title was introduced in Victorian times to indicate that hospital-trained nurses had had enhanced training to prepare for district nursing.

In 2007, after a 40-year-gap, the QICN reintroduced the title in a different form. Now nurses apply personally to be a QN, providing evidence, supported by patient and colleague references. Any nurse with five years’ experience of community work is eligible.