In 2005 Hughes was appointed an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit, for services to the mental health profession.

In 2020 she was appointed a Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to nursing and mental health.

Hughes completed a Bachelor of Arts and Social Sciences at Massey University in 1987, and a Master of Arts degree in nursing at Victoria University of Wellington in 1997, with a thesis on aggression in psychiatric wards.

[2] In the 2005 Queen's Birthday Honours, Hughes was appointed an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit, for services to the mental health profession.

[2] In the 2020 New Year Honours Hughes was appointed a Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to nursing and mental health.