King's Birthday Honours: QA Hospital's chief nurse Liz Rix is made an MBE

Professor Liz Rix has worked in the NHS for more than 40 years, with almost 15 of those as a Chief Nurse – and the last four at Portsmouth Hospitals University NHS Trust

In Portsmouth she has led the professional development of the nursing, midwifery and AHP teams.

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During the pandemic, Liz was the director of infection, prevention and control, leading teams through operationally challenging times.

She said: ‘I am absolutely thrilled to be receiving an MBE in the King’s Birthday honours list. I can’t quite believe it really. I have been a nurse for 41 years, nearly 42.

‘I have worked with incredible teams and incredible people. It is the best profession. It offers you a whole career and to be recognised in this way is something I never expected.

‘For all those that I have worked with in the past, for all those that influenced me and made me the nurse I am thank you.

‘For all those I am working with now and will work with in the future, this is for all of you. This is for our profession. I am overjoyed.’

Penny Emerit, chief executive at Portsmouth Hospitals University NHS Trust, added: ‘We are all extremely proud of Liz for her achievements, since she came to PHU and across her impressive career in the NHS. She absolutely deserves this honour.’

Liz studied at the West Glamorgan School of Nursing and has worked in different areas including Intensive care and surgery.

Liz, who hails from Swansea, said: ‘As a student nurse a long time ago I can remember our nurse tutors saying to us “in this classroom some of you will be ward sisters” and I thought “well that’s not going to be me”.

‘Forty-one years later I am a chief nurse and I have done a job I have absolutely loved.

‘When I first qualified, I worked in intensive care and then I worked on surgical wards. After that I went into the development of nursing and continued with that for some time as I love supporting and encouraging others to grow and fulfil their potential.’

Liz spent the first 20 years of her career working in different NHS trusts in Wales before taking up her first chief nurse post in 2009 at the University Hospital of North Staffordshire (now University Hospital of North Midlands).

She said: ‘I am very proud of my heritage and my first 20 years of working were in Wales and I know the care and compassion of those teams that I worked with deliver to the Welsh population.

‘I also see that here in Portsmouth. Our nurses; local nurses, internationally educated nurses, nurses from around the country, we come together and there is nothing more special than that.’

After joining PHU in 2019, she was made an honorary professor by the University of Portsmouth as part of the partnership between the two city organisations.