Lifetime Achievement Award Reflects Dr Lyn Middleton MBE's Outstanding Career in Nursing
Registered Nursing Associate Programme Lead, Dr Carolyn (Lyn) Middleton MBE has been awarded the prestigious Lifetime Achievement Award at the RCN Wales Nurse of the Year Awards.
The accolade reflects an outstanding 47-year nursing career, during which Lyn has shaped nursing practice, policy, and education across Wales and beyond.
Beginning her nursing journey in the 1970s, Lyn has held a series of influential leadership roles, including Associate Director of Nursing at Aneurin Bevan University Health Board. Her work has consistently focused on improving patient care and strengthening the nursing workforce.
Among her many achievements, Lyn led the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) revalidation pilot for Wales, supporting over 800 registrants and helping to shape national processes for professional standards and lifelong learning. She played a key role in developing the Advanced Practice Framework and has proudly represented Welsh nursing on the international stage.
Lyn has also been instrumental in introducing the Registered Nursing Associate role to Wales - the most significant review of nursing workforce structure in over 20 years. The initiative has strengthened capacity, improved patient care, and created new career pathways for nurses.
In 2020, Lyn was awarded an MBE for services to nursing in the Queen’s Birthday Honours, a testament to her exceptional impact on the profession.
Dr Middleton said: “I have had the most amazing nursing career. As a bedside nurse and then as an educator, I have never lost sight of the impact a nurse has on a patient and their family; I very much hope the impact I have had has been a positive one.
“Over the years I have seen immense changes, but one thing that hasn’t changed are the amazing nurses and other health care professionals I have met along the way, some of whom have helped shape me as a person, as a nurse, an educator and a nurse leader, and I hope too that I have helped and nurtured others in a similar way.
“I have absolutely loved being a nurse, it has been more than I could have ever dreamed of, so very many highlights I will reflect on for the rest of my life; I wouldn’t change a thing!”
Dom Bird, Acting National Director for Quality, Safety and Improvement, NHS Wales Performance and Improvement, said: “Lyn’s contribution to nursing in Wales and internationally is nothing short of extraordinary, having mentored countless nurses, championed innovation, shaped thinking and advanced nursing as a profession.
“As Lyn prepares to retire, this award is a fitting tribute to an exceptional career defined by innovation, compassion, and unwavering commitment to patients and the nursing workforce, which will leave a legacy that will benefit patients and practitioners for years to come.
“On behalf of all of us here in Performance and Improvement, and NHS Wales more broadly, I would like to say thank you, Lyn, for your unwavering commitment and the kindness you have shown throughout your career. Our healthcare service is stronger because of you, and we wish you the joyful and fulfilling retirement that you truly deserve.”