Audrey Emerton, Baroness Emerton facts for kids

Quick facts for kids The Right Honourable The Baroness Emerton DBE GCStJ FRCN
Official Portrait of Baroness Emerton
Member of the House of Lords Lord Temporal
In office 17 February 1997 – 1 November 2019 Life Peerage
Personal details
Born	Audrey Caroline Emerton (1935-09-10) 10 September 1935 (age 89)
Nationality	British
Political party	Crossbench

Audrey Caroline Emerton, Baroness Emerton, born on September 10, 1935, is a very important person who used to be a member of the House of Lords in the United Kingdom. The House of Lords is part of the UK Parliament, where laws are discussed and made. She was known as a crossbencher, which means she didn't belong to a specific political party.

Baroness Emerton was given a special honor called a Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire in 1989. This is a high award given for great achievements. Later, in 1997, she became a life peer. This meant she could sit in the House of Lords for the rest of her life, representing her community. She retired from this important role on November 1, 2019.

Baroness Emerton's Career

Baroness Emerton had a long and important career in healthcare. She worked for the National Health Service (NHS), which provides healthcare to everyone in the UK.

Leading Nursing in the NHS

During the 1980s, she was the Chief Nursing Officer for the South East Thames Regional Health Authority. This meant she was in charge of all the nurses and nursing care in a large area of England.

Closing Darenth Park Hospital

One of her biggest achievements was leading a project to close Darenth Park Hospital. This was a very large hospital for people with learning disabilities. Baroness Emerton helped move these patients from the big hospital to smaller, more suitable places in the community. This was a huge change for healthcare and helped people live more independently.

Other Important Roles

She was also the President of the Association of Nurse Administrators from 1979 to 1983. Later, she helped with a special report called "Front Line Care" in 2010, which looked at how to improve healthcare services.

Baroness Emerton's Affiliations

Baroness Emerton was involved with many different groups and charities throughout her life.

St John Ambulance

She was very dedicated to St John Ambulance, a charity that teaches first aid and provides medical support at events. She volunteered with them for more than 70 years! She even became the Chancellor and Chief Commander of the organization. She stepped down from this role in 2002.

Attend Charity

In 2003, she was chosen to be the chairman of a charity called Attend. This group helps support hospitals and communities. She retired as chairman in 2006 but continued to be a vice-president.

Brighton Health Care NHS Trust

From 1994 to 2000, Baroness Emerton was the chairman of the Brighton Health Care NHS Trust. An educational building at the Brighton and Sussex University Hospitals NHS Trust is named after her, called the Audrey Emerton Building. This shows how much she contributed to healthcare in that area.

Honours and Awards

Baroness Emerton has received many special honours for her hard work and dedication.

Ribbon for the Order of the British Empire

Ribbon for the Order of St John

Ribbon for the Service Medal of the Order of St John

Ribbon	Description	Notes
	Order of the British Empire (DBE)	Dame Commander Civil Division Awarded in 1989
	Order of St John (GCStJ)	Dame Grand Cross Awarded in 2004
	ULS Extension of the Service Medal of the Order of St John with 4 Gold Bars	This medal recognizes her 70 years of volunteer service with St John Ambulance.

In 2009, she was also given the title of Fellowship of the Royal College of Nursing. This allowed her to use the letters "FRCN" after her name for the rest of her life, recognizing her important contributions to nursing.