Judith Hill CBE

Judith Hill has made a considerable contribution to the development of nurses and nursing practice in Northern Ireland. Having commenced her career at St Thomas' Hospital, London, in 1978 she made the move to nurse education, specialising in palliative care and progressing to become Nurse Director in both the Wessex and the South West Regional Health Authorities. During this period her strong background in clinical nursing, nurse teaching and senior nurse management enabled her to make highly strategic contributions to the work of the United Kingdom Central Council for Nursing, Midwifery and Health Visiting, of which she was a member.

In 1995 she was appointed Chief Nursing Officer (CNO), Northern Ireland and proved to be a determined and very capable leader who demonstrated an impressive commitment to the nursing profession and patient care. As CNO her achievements were significant; she developed the  framework leading to the integration of nursing and midwifery education into higher education, oversaw the introduction of nurse prescribing, developed the guidance and assessment criteria for access to free nursing care within the independent sector, established the Northern Ireland Practice and Education Council for Nursing and Midwifery, and chaired the Northern Ireland review of palliative care services.

An astute and perceptive thinker, as CNO she worked alongside ministers, staff nurses, patients and the public, displaying significant integrity, compassion and expertise in all she undertook. Her vision helped drive nursing forward in Northern Ireland during a time of great turbulence and change within the health service, and in recognition of her services to nursing in Northern Ireland she was awarded the CBE in 2000.

In 2005 she took on the role of Chief Executive of the Northern Ireland Hospice. Under her inspirational leadership the hospice has been reinvigorated and propelled into a central role in the community serving adults and children. Today the organisation is viewed as being patient and family centred, an employer of choice, and the provider of high quality learning, advice and support for the wider service. For her continued contribution to nursing, in 2008 Judith was awarded the RCN Northern Ireland Outstanding Achievement Award.