A senior nursing officer has described a $100 000 donation to the Queen Elizabeth Hospital’s (QEH) Nursing Services Department as an investment to ensure the next generation of nurses is properly prepared to provide quality care.

As the Olga Worrell Memorial Scholarship Trust presented the donation on Wednesday, Senior Nursing Officer for the Medical Directorate Cherry Jackman-Collymore said the contribution represented far more than financial assistance, as it would help strengthen critical care nursing and improve patient outcomes.

“To us, it is more than just money,” she said. “We have spent hours in that setting. We have lingered long by the beds of patients on ventilators. To us, it was more than just machines. It is willing our breath and our blood into the life of those patients on the bed.”