In July, Steph Lawrence MBE became the Queen’s Institute of Community Nursing (QICN) new chief executive, succeeding Dr Crystal Oldman CBE. Steph has been a nurse for more than 37 years, with the last 22 spent working in the community. She is both an adult and children’s trained general nurse, and a qualified district nurse. Steph is a Queen’s Nurse and fellow of the QICN and in 2022 was awarded an MBE for services to district nursing.

Steph was previously chief nurse at Leeds Community Healthcare NHS Trust and also spent three years at the Care Quality Commission as the national professional adviser for community services. She led the national trailblazer group for the district nurse apprenticeship standard, and co-chaired the clinical reference group for the national community nursing plan. She therefore brings a huge amount of experience and expertise to the QICN at a time when the NHS is adapting rapidly to meet new challenges