Care UK Celebrates Tracy’s Queen’s Nurse Achievement
Tracy Norbury, Home Manager at Macclesfield’s Hollins Park care home, has received the prestigious The Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother Award for Outstanding Service.
The accolade, more commonly known by the title of Queen’s Nurse, was bestowed to Tracy and other recipients during the Queen’s Nursing Institute ceremony on Friday 8th December.
Tracy has worked for Care UK since she was just 16 years old. Over the course of nearly two decades with the provider, she has held almost every role within her current home – having started as a domestic, before moving into the kitchen. When she became a qualified nurse in 2013, Tracy showcased her natural leadership skills and continued to progress, becoming the Home Manager in 2017 when she was just 29 years old. In 2019, Tracy led her team to gain four ‘Outstanding’ KLOEs from the CQC, making Hollins Park the first home to achieve this in the entirety of Cheshire.
Speaking on the importance of the Queen’s Nurse Award, Tracy said: “I feel very proud to have been recognised in this way, and to have been encouraged to put myself forward for the title of Queen’s Nurse. I’ve worked hard throughout my career, but I know I could not do my job without the support of my team. I hope this award will go on to inspire others – regardless of their job title – to put themselves forward for recognition whenever they get an opportunity to do so.”
Suzanne Mumford QN, Care UK’s Head of Nursing, Care and Dementia, said of Tracy’s achievement: “I am delighted that Tracy has been recognised by the Queen’s Nursing Institute for her continued passion and dedication to improving nursing practice at Hollins Park. Tracy continues to inspire her team, and role model best practice in nursing and dementia care. She is a worthy recipient of this prestigious award.”
Nursing became a clear path for Tracy when she was working at Hollins Park as a carer, helping to deliver end-of-life care to a particular resident. The experience shaped her and highlighted that positivity can be found during the most difficult of times for families. She credits the impact that positive elderly care can have, not just on residents but their loved ones, particularly highlighting the importance of end-of-life care.
Tracy said: “One of the driving factors for me is changing the mindset towards caring for those who are living with dementia. It isn’t about what they may or may not remember – it’s about bringing moments of joy to their day. Just because you go into a care home doesn’t mean your life stops – I’m a firm believer that we should do everything we can to keep residents as independent for as long as we can.”
In amongst the innovations, Hollins Park has been well-decorated with accolades. The home won Home of the Year at Care UK’s internal awards in 2018 and was highly commended for ‘Best Nursing Care’ in the Care Home Awards in the same year. As well as being awarded the title of Queen’s Nurse, Tracy currently holds ‘Home Manager of the Year’ from the National Dementia Care Awards 2023, having been recognised as ‘Lead Dementia Nurse’ by the same awards in 2017. She was also the recipient of the Great British Care Awards 2017 North West ‘Good Nurse’ award.
