Chief Nurse awarded OBE for services to nursing
19th June 2017
The Queen's Birthday Honours list recognises the achievements and service of extraordinary people right across the United Kingdom. Catherine Howell, Chief Nurse Diagnostic and Therapeutic Services, NHS Blood and Transplant (NHSBT) has been awarded an OBE in recognition of her services to nursing.
Catherine says: “I am overwhelmed, but very proud to receive this recognition on behalf of the nursing profession. Being a nurse is not just a job, it is a way of life. For me, it is a privilege that I have been afforded by people who trust in me to always do the best for them”.
Catherine is responsible for the strategic delivery and management of Therapeutic Apheresis Services (TAS); a national function which provides life-saving and life-enhancing patient treatments. It is the only area where NHSBT provides treatment directly to NHS patients.
Catherine has earned national recognition in the specialist field of blood transfusion. Having worked for NHSBT for over 25 years, Catherine has made a significant contribution to the safe and appropriate use of blood. This was acknowledged in 2014 when she was the first ever nurse to be awarded the Percy Oliver Award for services to transfusion medicine by the Royal College of Pathologists.
Catherine has worked tirelessly to raise the profile of the nursing profession in the field of transfusion both nationally and internationally. She has been actively engaged in many national committees and authored a number of guidelines relating to clinical practice. One notable example of her leadership is a collaborative with Scotland which explored the feasibility of nurses extending their role to prescribe blood. As an outcome of this work, nurses in the UK are now increasingly involved in the clinical decision making for blood transfusion.