First Older Person's Nurse Fellowship cohort celebrate success at the House of Lords
The first cohort from a pioneering programme that aims to improve care for older people were congratulated by senior nursing officials at a special event at the House of Lords.
The Older Person's Nurse Fellowship, sponsored by Health Education England (HEE), was launched in November 2014 and aims to develop a cohort of nurse leaders with recognised expertise in the care of older people, to drive change and influence national strategy and policy.
The Faculty of Nursing & Midwifery at King’s College London is delivering this programme and has seen the first cohort complete their study in October 2015.
Baroness Sally Greengross hosted the Fellows at the House of Lords earlier this month (14 Oct) in recognition of the importance of driving quality of care for older people through investing in nurse education. In attendance were a number of high-profile guests including Dr Lisa Bayliss-Pratt, HEE’s Nursing Director and Sir Stephen Moss.
At the event, the fundamental role of highly-skilled nurses in supporting older people and enhancing quality of life was recognised. As well as skill, there is also the need for strong leadership and innovation in driving quality improvement at the patient and family interface and wider health and social care systems. Developing a strong network of nurses to act as advocates for older people and influence local and national policy can help achieve these aims.
The Faculty’s Dr Corina Naughton, Senior Lecturer with Specialist Interest in Older People and Nicky Hayes, Consultant Nurse for Older People at King’s College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, who run the programme, were joined by Professor Christine Norton and Dr Gerry Lee.
They extended their congratulations to the first cadre of Older Person's Nurse Fellows and future leaders and advocates for older people’s care, whose names are listed below:
Anne Williams, Carol Bowler, Chris North, Clare Ruff, Connie Hughes, Deborah Birch, Diane Goring, Emma Ekins, Geraldine Rodgers, Jacqui Chapman, Joanna James, Joanne Barnett, Joanne Gajadhar, Julie Sanders, Julie Vale, Katie Whitewood, Kim Barr, Lisa Cottrell, Lynn Shaw, Mandy McKendry and Sharel Cole.
Image by James Fletcher