The chief nurse at University Hospitals of North Midlands NHS Trust (UHNM) formally received her OBE from Anne, Princess Royal.

Chief nurse, Ann-Marie Riley attended the ceremony at St James' Palace in London with her husband Kevin and their two children, Connor and Alyssa.

Speaking after the event, Ann-Marie explained how she felt "remarkably nervous" ahead of the ceremony. 

She said: "I'm not normally someone who gets nervous, I can speak in front of national audiences, but I did.

"We arrived at St James's Palace about ten in the morning and it was quite surreal. Everyone was there with their families, all looking incredibly proud and a bit in awe of where they were.

"We were guided through a series of waiting rooms before being called into the Throne Room for the ceremony."

Ann-Marie received the honour after she was recognised in the New Year Honours List for her services to nursing and healthcare.

She joined UHNM, which runs Royal Stoke University Hospital and County Hospital, Stafford, as chief nurse in 2021.

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UHNM explained that since she took on the role, she has played a key role in supporting nursing and midwifery teams across the Trust, championing patient safety, professional development and high-quality care.

Ann-Marie said: "The Princess Royal was brilliant. She asked about my career, whether things had got harder or easier over the years, and about the impact of social media. It felt like it lasted about two seconds, but it was probably around a minute and a half.

"It was a really lovely morning, the whole time I kept thinking, 'crikey, how have I got here?'"

She added: "You only get these types of awards as a result of everybody you work with, whether that's clinical or non-clinical staff, it's years and years of wonderful people working with you, and you accept it on their behalf as much as your own."