Showcasing outstanding local nursing: Meet award-winning nurse Teresa O’Nwere-Tan
Teresa O’Nwere‑Tan is an advanced nurse practitioner based in Southwark, south east London. She focuses on helping people stay well through early health checks and preventative care, which led to her winning the Nursing Times Nurse of the Year award last year.
One of the things that sets Teresa apart is her proactive approach to healthcare and meeting people where they are. This has included walking through the community with just a backpack, stethoscope and blood pressure machine to perform free healthcare checks on members of the public, whether they have symptoms or not. Her hands‑on approach has helped countless residents understand and manage their health better.
Working as a nurse across London for 15 years, Teresa’s early life shaped her interest in care as she helped look after her younger brother, who has autism and high daily needs. She also spent time in a neonatal unit as a baby, leading her to look up to the nurses who helped her as role models.
With a Nigerian and Japanese background, Teresa enjoys working in a highly multi-cultural area, with her own heritage helping her to connect with people across south east London and build trust in health conversations.
Teresa tells new and future nurses to be ambitious and to look after themselves. She says people care best for others when they also care for their own wellbeing.
We’re sharing her story to highlight the often quiet and unseen impact of selfless healthcare professionals like herself.
We sat down with Teresa to understand what drives her, how she works with local communities and the advice she wants to share with the next generation of nurses.