When the Nigerian-British nurse leader, Ms Felicia Kwaku, OBE, walked into the UK Parliament on 24 July 2024 to mark the end of her tenure as chair of the Chief Nursing Officer & Chief Midwifery Officer’s Black and Minority Ethnic Strategic Advisory Group, she had no idea of the surprise that awaited her. In the course of the event, Dame Ruth May, the then chief nursing officer (CNO) for England, stepped forward and presented Kwaku with the Gold Chief Nursing Officer Award—the highest honour in British nursing.
That prestigious honour was not only historic, but deeply symbolic. For Kwaku, it was a fulfilling confirmation of over 30 years of tireless work, advocacy, and leadership. For the nursing profession, it was a celebration of a life dedicated to uplifting others.
Kwaku currently serves as the associate director of nursing at King’s College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust. In this capacity, she oversees quality improvement, patient safety, and clinical leadership at one of London’s busiest teaching hospitals. Before then, the cardiothoracic and critical care nursing specialist had held several other senior leadership roles across the UK healthcare system, positioning herself as a formidable force in British healthcare.
Over the years, she has established a career defined not only by her technical skills, but by her deep commitment to equity, mentorship, and workforce development. More importantly, her influence transcends the UK’s healthcare system, reaching deep into the hearts of African and Caribbean communities, and inspiring the next generation of healthcare professionals.
Inborn passion for nursing
Born in the 1960s to Nigerian parents who had migrated to the United Kingdom earlier, Kwaku was no stranger to hospitals. As a child, she battled asthma, often finding herself in and out of clinical settings. But far from being frightened by the beeping machines or antiseptic air, young Kwaku found herself drawn to it all.
There was something both soothing and attractive about the hospital environment and the commitment of the health staff that sparked the passion to become a nurse in Kwaku. She and her sister would recreate the hospital setting in their bedroom, transforming bunk beds into makeshift wards, taking turns playing nurse and patient. In essence, long before she ever donned a uniform, Kwaku knew she was born to care.
Her formal journey into nursing began in 1989 when she enrolled at the Middlesex Hospital School of Nursing. She was the only Black student in her cohort—an experience that would not only shape her resilience nut also sharpen her understanding of the inequalities embedded within the healthcare system. It was not merely a matter of surviving that environment, but of standing out with excellence.
She went on to train at University College London Hospitals, eventually earning a Master of Science degree in Human Physiology. Her early years in practice were marked by an eagerness to not only provide care but also deepen the profession’s standards. She held a variety of roles, including that of research nurse, practice educator, and lecturer practitioner. Her love for knowledge was matched only by her passion for mentorship and staff development. She was never content to simply do her job; she worked to raise the bar for everyone around her.
As her career advanced, Kwaku took on increasingly senior roles in both NHS and private healthcare institutions. At Ealing Hospital, she served as head of Nursing for Surgery and Critical Care. From there, she moved into director-level roles at Whipps Cross Hospital and BMI Clementine Churchill Hospital, overseeing clinical operations, mentoring junior nurses, and influencing hospital-wide standards of patient care. At North Middlesex University Hospital, she served as the corporate head of nursing and led the organisation’s preparation for the Care Quality Commission inspection—an enormous responsibility requiring both technical knowledge and strategic oversight.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Kwaku’s leadership came into full view. At a time when the virus was devastating communities across the UK, it became increasingly clear that Black, Asian, and Minority Ethnic healthcare workers were disproportionately affected. As chair of the CNO/CMO BME Strategic Advisory Group, she led national efforts to address this crisis with urgency and compassion.
She championed risk assessments, advocated for access to adequate PPE, and hosted a series of webinars that reached thousands of NHS workers who were feeling vulnerable, unheard, and at risk. Her calm voice, grounded in clinical insight and cultural understanding, offered reassurance and direction when it was most needed.
Yet even in these high-ranking roles, Kwaku remained deeply connected to clinical practice. She has always believed that the nurse’s first duty is to the patient, and she modelled that belief by remaining visible—both in and out of uniform—on the wards. Her philosophy is that when staff are respected, valued, and nurtured, the quality of patient care naturally improves.
Mentorship, advocacy and diaspora leadership
Kwaku’s greatest legacy may be her work as a mentor and educator, particularly for international and diaspora nurses. She has repeatedly emphasised that nurses must be empowered to practise at the full extent of their licence and must be supported through ongoing development and coaching.
As director for Nursing Education and Training at the Nigerian Nurses Charitable Association UK (NNCAUK), she has helped guide countless Nigerian nurses through their professional transitions and leadership development in the UK. Ahead of the association’s 2024 Annual Global Health Conference, Kwaku called on Nigerian nurses everywhere to rise to the global challenge of Universal Health Coverage, insisting that they are more than capable of shaping health policy, not just implementing it.
“We are keen and driven to develop Nigerian nurses here in the UK to their best potential,” she said. “That’s why we’ve carried out a number of educational and developmental programmes—from action learning sets to educational development webinars.”
This commitment has also extended to direct collaboration with nurses and healthcare professionals in Nigeria. Over the years, Kwaku has travelled to Nigeria to deliver training, support cardiac surgery teams, and partner with local organisations. She remains actively involved in Save a Heart Nigeria Foundation, where she leads on nursing education initiatives that target both skill development and system strengthening.
She has also supported the Uganda Nurses and Midwives Association UK, where her mentorship was publicly acknowledged by the association’s founder, Elizabeth Pearson, who praised Kwaku’s guidance and leadership during the group’s formative years.
Despite a schedule packed with professional obligations, Kwaku sits on several national and international boards and committees, ensuring that equity, workforce wellbeing, and cultural competence are part of the UK’s health agenda. These include the Royal College of Nursing’s International Committee, the London Race Equality Steering Group, the NHS Race and Health Observatory, the National Community Nursing Plan Stakeholder Advisory Panel, and the Commonwealth Nursing and Midwifery Federation UK Diaspora Group.
She also serves on the UK Commission on Covid Commemoration under the Department of Health, where her contributions are helping to shape how the UK remembers and learns from the pandemic.
Recognition and awards
For her monumental service, Kwaku has received numerous honours. In 2020, she was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the Queen’s Birthday Honours List for services to nursing during the pandemic. That same year, she was named one of The Sunday Times’ Women of the Year, and in 2022, she was included among the Health Service Journal’s 50 Most Influential Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic People in Health.
Her team at NHS England won the HSJ Staff Wellbeing Award and the Zenith Global Health Award for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion in 2022—both acknowledging their groundbreaking work in safeguarding the BME workforce during COVID-19. That same year, the Caribbean & African Health Network honoured her with a Leadership and Empowerment Award, and in 2023, she was a guest of honour at Buckingham Palace to celebrate the King’s 75th birthday. In 2024, she was again recognised by the Caribbean & African Health Network as Nurse Leader of the Year.
