Advanced Nurse Practitioner Tara Bartley has been awarded a prestigious Fellowship by the Royal College of Nursing (RCN).

The professional accolade is made to UK registered nurses who have made an outstanding contribution to the advancement of nursing or healthcare.

Tara, who said she felt "slightly overwhelmed" to receive the award, has a vital role within the cardiothoracic clinical team at the University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust (UHB) and is viewed as an invaluable source of expertise to the Critical Care team, ward nurses and the surgical team.

“It is a great honour to receive the award,” said Tara, who has worked for the Trust since 2009.

The citation from the RCN, the professional body representing nurses, read: “Her passion for nursing, and exceptional drive to ensure delivery of the best in safe, patient-centred care, mark Tara out as a true leader in the field of cardiothoracic nursing.

“She is an acknowledged leader in the field of cardiothoracic surgery who tirelessly promotes the importance of multi-professional care for patients undergoing cardiothoracic surgery.

“A highly vocal champion of the vital role nurses play in delivering the timely and expert interventions that are so critical to the survival and recovery of patients, Tara has led the way in developing new working processes across the multi-disciplinary team. The measurable outcomes for patients include reduced lengths of stay, fewer readmissions and lower infection rates.”

Tara has played a role in developing national and international policy and was an external adviser in the development of a new cardiothoracic unit in Wales, reviewed workforce issues on behalf of the Society of Cardiothoracic Surgery (SCTS) as the nursing representative for the UK and Ireland and pushed forward innovative working practices across the speciality.

In 2006 she helped develop the highly popular Cardiac Advanced Life Support (CALS) course in the way it has subsequently evolved within the UK and Europe, which is currently being reviewed by the American Association of Critical Care Nurses (AACN).