Prestigious Cavell Star award presented to ITU nurse

Jan Meredith who has been a nurse for nearly 48 years has dedicated her professional life to nursing and education – making an impact on hundreds of student nurses and also her colleagues.

Rachel Armstrong, Head of Non-Medical Education, presented the Cavell Star award to Jan and described her as a ‘shining light’.

Donna Clark, Lead Nurse for Education, nominated her for the award. She said that Jan was an amazing person and always went above and beyond.

She said: “Jan is such a worthy winner of the Cavell Star for her dedication and commitment over her long career to her colleagues, ensuring they are always supported and listened to. She is always striving to be the best teammate and educator possible through compassion and excellence. She is an inspiration.”

An inspiring national awards programme, Cavell Star Awards are given to nurses, midwives, nursing associates and healthcare assistants who shine bright and show exceptional care to their colleagues, their patients or patients’ families.

Jan who is retiring was nominated for the Practice Supervisor of the Year category at the Student Nursing Times Awards 2025 earlier this year.

She started her nursing career in 1977 and “absolutely loved it” after not really knowing what she wanted to do. She has spent most of her career in ITU.

“I like learning about illnesses. I learnt so much stuff and couldn’t get enough of it. I was always pushing myself to do more. I just love working with people.

“I found that people were very unreceptive to students and I changed the way that we looked after students. They are the ones we need and they are our future. If people didn’t teach me, we would not have nurses of the future who can provide the best possible care for our patients.

“Attitudes to students started to change - we have all been there and we only get better with people spending time on us teaching us our jobs.