This award aims to recognise that great nursing is often delivered in teams and in close partnership with multidisciplinary colleagues – or even patients or stakeholders.
The 215 (Scottish) Multirole Medical Regiment Nursing Team delivers outstanding person-centred care in some of the most challenging environments worldwide. Made up of highly skilled Army Reservist nurses, they combine NHS expertise with military service to provide safe, effective healthcare wherever it is needed. Their collective professionalism, compassion, and resilience ensure high quality care from UK hospitals to remote overseas locations.
In Kenya, the team worked together to support local health services, delivering primary care in austere environments with limited resources. Their adaptability and teamwork under pressure strengthened international partnerships and enhanced local healthcare delivery. During Exercise Paeion Cyclone, the team transformed abandoned buildings into a fully functioning clinical facility through exceptional collaboration and leadership. Working alongside surgeons, medics, engineers, and logisticians, they created emergency, surgical, and ward areas designed around safety and patient flow. Their innovative approach demonstrated what a highly coordinated Reserve Nursing team can achieve, even in the most demanding circumstances. Continuous evaluation, daily reflection, and shared learning improved patient pathways and strengthened multidisciplinary teamwork.
Through unity, expertise, and compassionate care, the 215 (Sc) MMR Nursing Team continues to redefine what is possible in deployed healthcare. Innovative and adaptable, they exemplify the very best of defence nursing, always driven by patient need and proving that exceptional care can be delivered anywhere, even in the most austere conditions.
The judges praised the team for their efforts which have shaped future defence healthcare models. Head Judge, Eileen McKenna, said: “We were particularly impressed with how the team is showcasing the value of nursing in conflict zones where care can be delivered on site without the need to repatriate military personnel back to the UK.”
Congratulating the team on their win, Colin Poolman, RCN Scotland Executive Director said: “The 215 regiment are a great example of nursing in a non-traditional environment. Nursing is widely known for seeing a challenge, stepping up to the plate, and delivering the best outcomes for their patients. This team are shining examples of great nursing in practice. Reminiscent of Florence Nightengale’s trail-blazing early work in the Crimean War, the team deserve this honour, and I look forward to hearing about their work as its impact continues to grow and sets national policy.”
Congratulations also go to our runner up, the Specialist Rehabilitation Unit - Nursing Team from NHS Forth Valley, and our highly commended Forth Valley Prison Health Care Team with HMPYOI Stirling, HMPYOI Polmont, and HMP Glenochil, in NHS Forth Valley.
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