Dame Sheila Margaret Imelda Quinn, DBE, FRCN, RGN, RM, RNT (September 16, 1920–December 8, 2016), was a

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...

nurse and fellow of the

Royal College of Nursing The Royal College of Nursing (RCN) is a registered trade union in the United Kingdom for those in the profession of nursing. It was founded in 1916, receiving its royal charter in 1928. Queen Elizabeth II was the patron until her death in 2022. ...

. She was president of the

(RCN) from 1982 to 1986. She was awarded an RCN Fellowship (FRCN) in 1978. Born in Blackpool,

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

on September 16, 1920, she was educated at the Convent of the Holy Child, Jesus ( Layton Hill Convent, Blackpool), now known as St Mary's Catholic High School (Blackpool).

International work and honours

From 1961 to 1970, Quinn served on the administrative staff of the

International Council of Nurses The International Council of Nurses (ICN) is a federation of more than 130 national nurses associations. It was founded in 1899 and was the first international organization for health care professionals. It is headquartered in Geneva, Switzerl ...

(ICN), of which she was executive director from 1967 to 1970. She was an ICN representative to the

International Labour Organization The International Labour Organization (ILO) is a United Nations agency whose mandate is to advance social and economic justice by setting international labour standards. Founded in October 1919 under the League of Nations, it is the first and o ...

. She also acted as a consultant to the

World Health Organization The World Health Organization (WHO) is a specialized agency of the United Nations responsible for international public health. The WHO Constitution states its main objective as "the attainment by all peoples of the highest possible level of ...

. Throughout her career, she was chief nursing officer (CNO) to the Southampton University Hospitals NHS Trust, regional nursing officer (RNO) for the Wessex Regional Health Authority, and chief nursing advisor for the

British Red Cross The British Red Cross Society is the United Kingdom body of the worldwide neutral and impartial humanitarian network the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement. The society was formed in 1870, and is a registered charity with more ...

. She was appointed

Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...

(CBE) and later elevated to Dame Commander (DBE) by Queen Elizabeth II. In 1993, the ICN awarded her the

Christiane Reimann Christiane Elisabeth Reimann (May 6, 1888, Copenhagen - April 12, 1979, Syracuse, Sicily) was a Danish nurse. She is especially remembered for being the first Danish nurse with a graduate degree in nursing. She was the first paid secretary ("Execu ...

Prize, which is given every four years for outstanding contribution to the profession. Dame Sheila contributed significantly to the Problem Solving for Better Health (PSBH) program at the Dreyfus Health Foundation (DHF) since 1995. She helped found The Brendoncare Foundation for Total Care of the Elderly in the mid-1980s. The Quinn Centre, which was named in her honour, was established in 2002 to respond to the training and information needs of the domiciliary care sector.

Death

She died on December 8, 2016 at the age of 96 at Southampton General hospital.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Quinn, Sheila 1920 births 2016 deaths English nurses British nursing administrators British people of Irish descent Dames Commander of the Order of the British Empire People from Blackpool Fellows of the Royal College of Nursing Presidents of the Royal College of Nursing British nurses