Dame Ruth May - former Chief Nurse for England - leads tributes to support workers at our Trust
Dame Ruth May was one of the keynotes speakers as the work of healthcare support workers at Cambridgeshire and Peterborough NHS Foundation Trust was celebrated.
More than 100 staff who span the many different teams – from nursing associates who provide frontline care for patients to those who undertake administrative roles at the Trust - met in Huntingdon.
Dame Ruth, who retired as Chief Nursing Officer for England last year, talked about the national Healthcare Support Worker programme she had founded during her five years in office.
The programme was established to recognise the invaluable work of healthcare support workers and help recruit more people to vacant NHS posts.
She was joined by Claire Morris MBE, Workforce Improvement Lead for NHS England, who spoke about what the programme had achieved over the last five years and how it will continue with Dame Ruth’s successor, Duncan Barton.
During the event, which also included contributions from the Trust’s CEO Steve Grange, Deputy CEO Stephen Legood, Chief Nurse Rachel Gomm, and Deputy Chief Nurse Mike Seaman, Dame Ruth and Claire presented a Chief Nursing Officer’s award to Corrine Armstrong.
Corrine, a support worker with the Trust’s Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service team in Peterborough (inset picture, second right with Claire, Dame Ruth and Rachel), was nominated for a Support Worker Excellence Award.
Her nomination read: “Corinne consistently puts patients at the heart of everything she does and inspires those around her to grow and develop.
“Her loyalty, consistency, and willingness to support others—without seeking recognition—make her an unsung hero.”
Clinical Nursing Associate Lead Dushanthi Cole, who organised the day, (main picture, front row, right with Dame Ruth, Claire and those who attended the day) said: “We have support worker forums about six times a year and as this one coincided with Support Worker Week, we thought it would be great to do something special.
“I’m very grateful that Dame Ruth and Clare were able to attend and share their passion for recognising the crucial role of support workers in all aspects of healthcare as well as giving unique insights into their careers.
“Most importantly, this was about celebrating our staff and the incredible work they do.”
CPFT provides community physical health services for older people and adults with long term conditions, mental health services, children community services in Peterborough and learning disability services. The Trust is also renowned for its research and development work and in June 2025, CPFT was awarded Teaching Partner status by the University of Cambridge.
ENDS
For more information contact:
Andy Burrows, Cambridgeshire and Peterborough NHS Foundation Trust
Deputy Head of Communications
E communications@cpft.nhs.uk
