Michelle Cox, was awarded the prestigious accolade at the annual RCN awards ceremony on the evening of 2 June. The awards take place during the RCN’s annual meeting of Congress, this year taking place in Newport, Wales. RCN Congress is the ultimate opportunity to network with peers, hear from exceptional keynote speakers and take part in hot-topic debates about the issues affecting the nursing workforce.
The awards themselves celebrate the very best in nursing, presenting Fellowships, Honorary Fellowships and Awards of Merit to those who have given an outstanding contribution to nursing, along with honours for the Learning Representative, Safety Representative and Steward of the Year.
Ms Cox, a nurse with a career spanning over 30 years, was most recently employed by NHSE. She hit the headlines in early 2023 after winning a landmark case against her employer for harassment and discrimination.
Michelle, a senior Black nurse, made the decision to blow the whistle on poor practice in her service across the North of England, submitting a grievance which included discrimination by her manager. Dissatisfied with the way her complaints of racism were handled, and certain she had been mistreated for whistleblowing, Michelle took her employer to an employment tribunal and won.
She has since gone on to speak and campaign on behalf of global majority workers which she describes her winning case against her employer as, ‘who she did it for’. She has also worked with the RCN Foundation to launch an anti-racism award after being determined to create a positive legacy from the devastating impact that the legal battle had on her.
Michelle worked with the Foundation to create an award that aims to support nursing and midwifery staff to tackle anti-racism. The annual grant supports a nurse or midwifery-led project which aims to oppose racism and promote racial equality within nursing and midwifery.
Michelle also, and most recently, volunteered at her second medical mission in Ghana at the end of 2023. Her first was in 2022 to Sierra Leone which Michelle describes as an ‘enriching experience’.
Michelle says: “I am proud to accept the RCN Fellowship and I am truly honoured. It has only motivated me further and has confirmed that the work I am doing is making a difference. I will continue to use my voice and influence to champion and support those who have no voice in the workplace.”
Commenting on Michelle’s award, Regional Director of RCN North West, Estephanie Dunn, said: “Michelle has certainly brought racism issues in the NHS to the forefront and has since used her voice and platform to highlight and challenge these issues in an open forum. We see day in day out injustices due to racism and attacks on other protected characteristics. Michelle had the courage to speak up and challenge, something we know is very difficult to do and to prove.
“She is a true inspiration, and it is her strength, campaigning, and courage that has won her this accolade and I am delighted to see Michelle honoured in this way. I wish to offer congratulations on behalf of the whole RCN North West team and our members, it is very much deserved.”
