Student Nursing Times Awards success for University College Birmingham

May 2025

By Claire Huggins

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University College Birmingham has won Nurse Education Provider of the Year (pre-registration) at the Student Nursing Times Awards - recognising its dedication to supporting students' personal growth and their ability to deliver person-centred, holistic care.

At a prestigious ceremony held at JW Marriott Grosvenor House Hotel, the University's nursing team were beyond overjoyed to collect the accolade recognising excellence in UK nursing education.

Having experienced previous success at the awards, Helen Eldridge, senior lecturer for mental health and learning disabilities nursing, felt it was the University's time again and put forward the nomination for the 2025 awards.

Each award demands a challenging live presentation to the panel of judges in London and represents the only chance to pitch your case for winning your chosen category. Usually, it is the person who submits the nomination that should do the presentation, but in a twist of fate, Helen was unavailable on the day. Into the breach stepped student nurses, Jaqui King and Chloe Norgrove.

“Jaqui does such brilliant work as a student ambassador and it felt appropriate for a student to present, given it was the Student Nursing Times Awards,” said Helen.“She immediately agreed to do it and explained that Chloe Norgrove would be assisting. I knew at this point that our submission could not be in safer hands.”

The criteria of the Nurse Education Provider of the Year (pre-registration) award reads:

This award recognises those universities and other institutions that stand out from the crowd because of the high standards of academic and practical teaching that they provide to their student nurses, midwives and nursing associates, as well as the excellent resources on offer to inspire them and nurture their development.

Once the initial nomination had been received, further feedback from the judges guided Jaqui and Chloe’s final presentation:

An excellent nomination reflecting a student-centred approach, with a focus on small cohort learning and hands-on training. University College Birmingham demonstrates outstanding dedication to student success. Quantifying the long-term impact on employment and academic outcomes would strengthen the submission.

Initially, the judges were surprised to be facing two student nurses conducting the presentation, but Jaqui and Chloe were confident they had made a good impression:

“We were both quite nervous about the presentation,” said Jaqui. “It’s one thing delivering high quality nursing care in practical situations, that’s what I’m used to, but a live presentation was definitely more daunting!”

"Awards like this are the icing on the cake and cement our reputation in the nursing education sector"

Professor Kathryn Riley Director of Nurse Education

With the winners’ names kept top secret, there was an agonising wait until the ceremony itself before the nursing team found out they had won. Just as valuable as winning was the chance to share in the celebration of nursing education with the other attendees. With more than 600 initial entries, and 200 individuals, universities or practice partners shortlisted against the 25 categories, the competition was fierce.

The commendation from the judges in awarding the University the accolade read:

‘Presented by two outstanding student ambassadors, this entry beautifully showcased the transformative power of their nursing programme. They spoke with passion, professionalism, and authenticity—demonstrating how their education has shaped both their personal growth and their commitment to person-centred, holistic care. The nurturing ethos of their training was clear throughout, and their presentation left no doubt: these are professionals truly prepared to lead in the future of healthcare.’

Helen McCarroll

The win was a real high point in a day that already carried special poignancy for the team attending.

Registered Nurse Degree Apprenticeship student Helen McCarroll was also a finalist for Apprentice Nurse of the Year.

While Helen missed out on winning, the University’s Director of Health and Workforce Development, Marina Kendrick explained why her nomination was so important:

“We lost Helen to renal cancer last year, but even throughout her illness, Helen continued attending classes and was an inspiration to all who met her.

“Helen was not only an exceptional student, dedicated to her top-up degree, she also lent her voice to issues she was passionate about.

"She worked with the Royal College of Nursing to get more support for working nurses with palliative conditions, as well as collaborating with Kidney Cancer UK in calling for improved hypertension screening protocol. The nomination is fitting recognition of Helen’s passion for nursing.”

Professor Kathy Riley, the University’s Director of Nurse Education, said: “The day was definitely one of mixed emotions, but our award is a testament to the hard work of everyone involved in the delivery of our pre-registration nursing programmes.

"This includes our practice learning partners and service users, as well as the academic and support teams.

“Seeing the success of our students is the department's additional motivation to deliver nursing programmes that produce highly skilled, confident and educated nursing professionals for the future workforce, just like Jaqui and Chloe.

“Awards like this are the icing on the cake and cement our reputation in the nursing education sector.”

Find out more about our nursing courses and up to £23,000 funding available to help support your studies.

The celebrations in pictures

Photo courtesy of the Star Media Group

Photo courtesy of Star Media Group. L-R: Event host and comedian, Kwame Asante. Faye Mathias. Kathryn Riley. Helen Eldridge. Jaqui King. Codie O’Coy. Antony Smith. Chloe Norgrove. Marina Kendrick. Rachael Lynch. Judge, Stephen Reddish.