A neonatal nurse who leads her unit like a family has taken home a regional honour. Katie Barke, ward manager of the Neonatal Intensive Care Ward at North West Anglia NHS Foundation Trust, has been named Nurse of the Year in the East of England Perinatal Awards 2026.
Barke was surprised with the certificate at a perinatal event day, presented by Wendy Mathews, chief midwife, and Liz Langham, director of the East of England Operational Delivery Network. "I am so privileged to work with such an amazing team, who is my work family," she said. "I wouldn't have this award without them."
Her nomination cited the work ethos and family feel on the NICU as a credit to her leadership. She regularly works clinically on the unit to make sure staff get their breaks, enables seamless discharge of complex patients, and facilitated the recruitment of a neonatal nurse counsellor who works with the unit's psychologist supporting families learning to care for their babies — described as possibly the only regional unit with such a position.
Barke has also spearheaded maintaining the trust's Bliss accreditation, the national charity standard for newborn care, while working toward gold, and has supported training for her team and welcomed student nursing and midwifery placements — the pipeline work that neonatal units depend on to inspire the next generation of specialist nurses.
