Essayer OR - Gratuit
Audrey Emerton
The Observer
|March 08, 2026
Formidable senior nurse who became a crossbench peer and a persistent advocate for health and social care
Nursing leader and 'tour de force' Audrey Emerton brought decades of NHS experience to the House of Lords.
(Chris McAndrew/UK Parliament)
When Baroness Audrey Emerton was four, she contracted measles then whooping cough, which led to a severe bacterial infection in the ears.
She almost lost her hearing and during three months in hospital in 1940, in which her parents could visit only twice a week, she temporarily lost the ability to walk. However, she gained something precious from her confinement: a vocation. That long reliance on the care of nurses planted in her a desire to join their profession.
At the age of 11, Emerton joined St John Ambulance as a cadet. “It was the making of me,” she said. The organisation, which trains 250,000 people a year in first aid, will mark its 150th anniversary next year. Emerton was a volunteer for more than half its existence and rose to become its chancellor and chief commander. Professor Mark Compton, Lord Prior of the Order of St John, described her as “a true icon, dedicating her life to serve others”.
Cette histoire est tirée de l'édition March 08, 2026 de The Observer.
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