Catherine Farr, aged 45, has been promoted to the role of head of nursing and clinical services at Shepton Mallet NHS Treatment Centre, where she was previously operations and clinical performance manager.

Catherine began her nursing career as a staff nurse at Southmead Hospital in Bristol, following a Registered Nurse Diploma in Nursing Studies (Adult Branch) gained from the University of the West of England.

There followed a number of nursing posts in NHS hospitals across Somerset, including Musgrove Park Hospital in Taunton, Weston General Hospital and Yeovil District Hospital.

She joined Shepton Mallet NHS Treatment Centre in 2009 in the role of patient experience co-ordinator.

She then became the outpatient and patient experience team manager, followed by the role of clinical governance and effectiveness manager. In 2016 she became operations and clinical performance manager.

She achieved a BSc (Hons) in Nursing Studies in 2011, and an MSc in Professional Practice in 2017, both from the University of Manchester.

She won the Nursing Practice Award at the Laing Buisson Healthcare Awards in 2014, and has published on the topic of inpatient falls reduction and prevention.

Catherine, from Yeovil, is part of the team who achieved the first, across the board rating of Outstanding to be awarded to an acute hospital by the Care Quality Commission – it remains the only hospital in the country to retain this accolade.

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The hospital also regularly scores 99 per cent-plus from its patients in the national Friends and Family Test.

Shepton Mallet NHS Treatment Centre was top in the country for primary hip replacements in the year to March 2019, according to the national Patient Reported Outcome Measures (PROMs). The hospital was also in the top five per cent for total knee placements.

Catherine said: "I am delighted to have received this promotion in my 10th year at Shepton Mallet NHS Treatment Centre.

"It is wonderful to be part of a team which is so completely committed to high quality patient care – the patient sits at the heart of everything we do. I am looking forward to working with my colleagues to build on our already impressive success."

Lesley Boler, chief nurse for quality and governance at Care UK (which runs Shepton Mallet NHS Treatment Centre), said: "In this Year of the Nurse and Midwife, it is very pleasing to see a colleague of Catherine's calibre, knowledge and experience assume a senior nursing role within our organisation."