A nurse at Birmingham Children’s Hospital has recently won the ‘Outstanding Nurse Award’. Rachel Shanahan was chosen from hundreds of nominations from across the UK at the 2026 WellChild Awards—for the extraordinary care, dedication and compassion she shows to the children and families in her care.
She received her award at the Royal Lancaster Hotel in London on Monday, September 2, where she met WellChild Patron, Prince Harry, the Duke of Sussex. Prince Harry attended the Awards to meet winners and their families at a pre-ceremony reception and delivered a speech during the event.
In his speech on the night, the Duke of Sussex said: “The WellChild Awards are always a very special evening because they give us the opportunity to celebrate an extraordinary group of children and young people living with complex medical needs, as well as the families who support them every single day.”
Who is Rachel Shanahan?
Rachel joined the WellChild Nurse programme in 2015 and has been a driving force behind its initiatives that enable more children and young people to leave hospital sooner, receive specialist care at home and thrive within their families and communities.
What sets Rachel apart is her unwavering commitment to improving services not only for the children and families, but for countless others across the UK. This award recognises her contribution to nursing, her dedication to children with complex medical needs and her commitment to helping families build futures at home.
As the Lead Nurse for Discharge and Complexity at Birmingham Children’s Hospital, she is described as passionate about providing care outside of hospital walls, with a can-do attitude, and has also now grown a team equally dedicated to working with children and families with complex health needs—the first of its kind in the UK.
“We are incredibly proud of Rachel for receiving this prestigious WellChild Award,” said Daljit Athwal, Chief Nursing and Midwifery Officer. “Her unwavering commitment, dedication and compassion have transformed the care and experiences of children with complex medical needs and their loved ones.”
