Children's nurse meets Prince Harry after award win

A nurse from Birmingham Children's Hospital has won a prestigious national award recognising her work supporting children with complex medical needs and their families.

Rachel Shanahan was named the winner of the Outstanding Nurse Award at the 2026 WellChild Awards in London last month, where she also met the charity's patron, Prince Harry, the Duke of Sussex.

She was selected from hundreds of nominations across the UK, in recognition of her dedication to improving care for children and helping families manage their needs beyond hospital.

"I suppose it was that validation of everything that you do, to see it in writing and on stage and on the big screen… it was lovely and really humbling," she said.

She added: "I had some of my family there as well. So I think it grounds you a bit, in the sense of this is what I do, this is who I am."

Shanahan has worked at Birmingham Children's Hospital for more than 20 years and became part of the WellChild Nurse programme in 2015.

As lead nurse for discharge and complexity, she leads a team supporting children with complex health and social care needs, helping them leave hospital.

Her work has included helping families gain the skills and confidence to care for their children at home, as well as contributing to resources designed to improve complex hospital discharges.

She said nursing had changed significantly over the course of her career, with advances in medicine allowing children with increasingly complex conditions to live longer.

The awards ceremony gave Rachel the opportunity to meet Prince Harry, who attended a reception with winners and their families, before delivering a speech at the event.

Speaking about the work of children's nurses, the Duke said their role went beyond helping children leave hospital, adding that support could help them thrive at home, at school and in their communities.

"When I met Prince Harry, I explained to him, you deal with the richest of the rich, and then the next breath you can deal with the poorest of poor, anything in between.

"He was wonderful. It consolidated everything that I thought and saw when I met him," she said.

For the nurse, the award recognised more than two decades of work supporting children and families through complex medical challenges.

"There's definitely no day that's the same, no person's the same, and I think it's the people.

"The children are really cool, they are absolutely incredible…it is a real privilege to be part of that and to make a difference."

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