Nurse Claire wins coveted award for helping bring the magic of cinema to patients
A leading nurse has been recognised with a prestigious award for her role in helping to bring the magic of cinema to patients at our Children's Hospital.
Claire Powell, Associate Director of Nursing and Quality, was recognised with a DAISY Award for her integral role in bringing MediCinema to the site.
Funded by our Charity, the cinema features 84 purpose-made, movie-style seats and is designed specially to accommodate wheelchairs and will screen the latest films at no cost to patients or the NHS.
And in a surprise, yet fitting presentation, Claire was given the accolade in the theatre by Chief Nursing and Midwifery officer Daljit Athwal.
Claire recalled how she had been expecting to meet up with a colleague but instead was met by an audience of people who had been attending an event for National Children's Nurses Day
She said: “I was so surprised to see my colleagues in the cinema waiting for me.
“It’s a really special honour to be awarded a DAISY award. We've have so many incredible nurses at this Trust. To be not only nominated but to win means the world to me.”
Daljit read out Claire’s emotional nomination to the audience and presented Claire with a certificate, Healer’s Touch statue, a DAISY pin and cinnamon rolls for her and her team.
This award was especially meaningful for Claire as she is semi-retiring from her role after 36 years working in the NHS.
She added: “I actually trained at the old Children’s Hospital site in Five Ways and I returned five years ago. It’s been a real honour to return as a senior leader and to see the nurses of tomorrow training here.
“Getting the DAISY award has made my retirement feel real now, so I’m very emotional. Being a nurse means everything to me.”
Her nomination read: “Claire joined the MediCinema project in January 2026 and has proven to be an integral part of setting up the service, ensuring patient safety is paramount and being a true advocate for the programme.
“Her energy, enthusiasm and knowledge was vital to our launch day in March.
“She went above and beyond, helping with patient collections to bring them to the cinema, greeting patients as they entered with her wonderfully warm and welcoming manner but also providing key feedback to help us improve the service we offer to ensure it's safe and inclusive for as many patients as possible.
“No issue is too big or too small for Claire, she cares so deeply about ensuring patients at our Children’s Hospital have the best experience during their stay and has truly supported us every step of the way to reach over 200 patients since we opened.
“She's a joy to be around and it's clear she wants to share that joy with as many patients as possible.”
We want to say a huge congratulations to Claire and wish her well in her retirement.