The UK’s leading workwear company, Alexandra, has been announced as the headline sponsor of this year’s RCN Nursing Awards 2021.

The company, which has supplied uniforms and scrubs for generations of nurses, is also sponsoring the Patient’s Choice award which gives patients the chance to nominate a nurse or healthcare assistant who has made a real difference to their lives.

The UK’s most prestigious nursing awards form a celebration of how nurses have gone above and beyond – especially during the last year with the profession on the Coronavirus frontline.

Tina Graves, Alexandra’s Senior Director of Commercial Sales and Business Operations, said:

“Over the last 15 months the whole nation has been moved and humbled by what nurses have endured and selflessly given every day during this awful pandemic.

“We are incredibly honoured to be the headline sponsor of the RCN Nursing Awards 2021. Alexandra has been designing and making nursing uniforms and scrubs for more than 150 years and we could not be more proud of this generation of nurses.”

The company, based at Thornbury near Bristol, has transformed its operations during the Covid crisis. In a matter of weeks, Alexandra turned the business around with over 90 per cent of manufacturing capacity in its UK and international factories being switched to producing scrubs for the NHS.

Alexandra also marshalled and expanded its extensive supply chain network to source millions of pieces of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) such as masks, nitrile gloves and aprons to support frontline NHS and care workers.

The company, which employs more than 1,500 people, recently secured a prestigious, national Supply Chain Excellence Award in recognition of its response to the coronavirus pandemic, winning the Healthcare and Pharmaceutical category.

The RCN Nursing Awards, formerly the RCNi Nurse Awards, invite nurses, students and nursing support workers to share their innovations and expertise and celebrate their contribution to improving care and outcomes for people of all ages and walks of life.

Entries are open to individuals and teams in 15 categories – including the RCN Nurse of the Year 2021 – with a shortlist due to be announced next week with the Patient’s Choice category decided by public vote.

Rachel Armitage is managing director of RCNi, who delivers the RCN Nursing Awards. She said:

“We are delighted to be joined Alexandra as our headline sponsor. 

“We look forward to working together towards our shared goals of showcasing nursing excellence and recognising the huge difference that the nursing team makes to people's lives throughout the UK - not least their enormous contribution to the pandemic response.”

The Royal College of Nursing is the world’s largest nursing union and professional body, representing more than 450,000 nurses, student nurses, midwives and nursing support workers in the UK and internationally.

The annual RCN Awards is one of the highlights of the nursing calendar and has been recognised as the highest accolade in the nursing profession.

Alexandra has been designing and manufacturing garments since 1854 and is the UK’s leading supplier of uniforms to the healthcare, hospitality, catering and other industries. For more information go to www.alexandra.co.uk

Photo caption: Tina Graves, Senior Director of Commercial Sales and Business Operations at Alexandra who have been announced as headline sponsors for the RCN Nursing Awards 2021.