We are very proud to announce that with over 70 years of nursing experience and practice, Drybrook Surgery Partner Katie Dyer, ANP and Sally Taylor RGN care co-ordinator have been awarded the title of Queens Nurse.
Their careers and experience extend worldwide with Katie having spent 10 years in Australia as a nurse and midwife and the past 15 years in general practice As an advanced practitioner with a special interest in women’s Health. Katie is a partner at the surgery and an advocate for advancing practice within nursing.
Sally started her nurse training at Gloucestershire Royal Hospital in the late 1970’s and has remained in the county ever since. Her experience has been predominantly working in the community and latterly at Great Oaks Hospice for 13 years with the Hospice at Home service before joining the Drybrook Team 2 years ago. Her role at the surgery is to ensure that patients are supported through their long-term conditions as well as preventative measures through annual vaccination programmes working alongside the practice nurse team.
The title of Queen’s Nurse (QN) is available to individual nurses who have demonstrated a high level of commitment to patient care and nursing practice.
The QICN (formerly QNI) is the oldest professional nursing organisation in the UK and believed to be the oldest nursing charity in the world*.
The charity traces its origins to 1887 with the grant of £70,000 by Queen Victoria from the Women’s Jubilee Fund. A Royal Charter in 1889 named it Queen Victoria’s Jubilee Institute for Nurses (QVJIN) and gave it the objectives of providing the ‘training, support, maintenance and supply’ of nurses for the sick poor, as well as establishing training homes and branches. In 2025, the charity announced its new name, the Queen’s Institute of Community Nursing (QICN).
In 2025 510 nurses working in community settings received the title of Queen’s Nurse. The total number of Queen’s Nurses in England, Wales, Channel Islands, Isle of Man and Northern Ireland now stands at almost 3400.
The title of Queen’s Nurse was reintroduced in 2007 after a gap of almost 40 years. The title is not an award, but a recognition of a nurse’s commitment to ongoing learning, leadership, and excellence in healthcare.
In November Katie and Sally will attend the award ceremony in London to officially receive their prestigious badge and certificate along with other worthy recipients.
Congratulations Katie and Sally from all the staff at Drybrook Surgery.