Dame Phyllis Muriel Friend, (28 September 1922 – 24 June 2013) was a British nurse and nursing officer.

Education and early career

Friend attended the Herts and Essex School in

Bishop’s Stortford Bishop's Stortford is a historic market town and civil parish in the East Hertfordshire district, in the county of Hertfordshire, England. It is in the London commuter belt, near the border with Essex, just west of the M11 motorway and Stansted ...

. Her parents both worked there - her mother was the Matron and her Father the Master. Friend originally had thought that she would like to study history and become a researcher. Friend spent much of her professional career at The

London Hospital The Royal London Hospital is a large teaching hospital in Whitechapel in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. It is part of Barts Health NHS Trust. It provides district general hospital services for the City of London and London Borough of Tow ...

where she received her basic nursing education (circa 1943) and undertook Part I

Midwifery Midwifery is the health science and health profession that deals with pregnancy, childbirth, and the postpartum period (including care of the newborn), in addition to the sexual and reproductive health of women throughout their lives. In many cou ...

Training. She held the posts of ward sister, nurse tutor (1948) and Assistant Matron at 'The London' (1954) before becoming deputy matron at St. George's Hospital, London in 1956. In 1959, she returned to The London Hospital as Matron Designate. In 1961, she became matron. In 1964, The London was the first to install its own computer system; a development in which Friend was heavily involved. In 1969, she was appointed Chief Nursing Officer at the Department of Health and Social Security in London in 1969, a post she held until she retired in 1982. Friend was President of the Association of Matrons 1969-1972

Honours/awards

For her services to nursing she was created a

Commander of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...

in 1972 and a

Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...

in 1980. She was made a Fellow of the

Royal College of Nursing The Royal College of Nursing (RCN) is a registered trade union and professional body in the United Kingdom for those in the profession of nursing. It was founded in 1916 as the College of Nursing, receiving its royal charter in 1928. Queen Eliz ...

in 1980.

Dame Phyllis Friend Award

The Dame Phyllis Friend Award is awarded annually in recognition of the work of nurses using information and communications technology to support care. It results from a donation by Dame Phyllis herself to the Nursing Specialist Group, part of the Health Informatics Forum of the British Computer Society.

Death

Friend died on 24 June 2013 in Princess Alexandra Hospital,

Harlow Harlow is a town and local government district located in the west of Essex, England. Founded as a Planned community, new town in 1947, it is situated on the border with Hertfordshire, and occupies a large area of land on the south bank of the ...

after a long period of ill health.

References

External links

Phyllis Friend profile, University of Sheffield
{{DEFAULTSORT:Friend, Phyllis 1922 births 2013 deaths Nurses from London British nursing administrators Philanthropists from London Dames Commander of the Order of the British Empire Fellows of the Royal College of Nursing Place of birth missing 20th-century British philanthropists NHS Chief Professional Officers 20th-century British women philanthropists British nurses