Academy Advisory Board Members
Professor Greta Westwood was appointed as the Chief Executive Officer of the Florence Nightingale Foundation in September 2019. She qualified as a nurse in 1983 and a midwife in 1987. She completed an MSc in Health Psychology in 1996 and a PhD in Nursing in 2010. Greta was one of the first genetic counsellors for the Wessex Clinical Genetics Service from 1987-2007 and was part of the team who established the Association of Genetic Nurses and Counsellors (AGNC). She held a joint Clinical Academic post with the University of Southampton from 2000-2005. From 2008-2012, she established, and then led, the National Institute of Health Research (NIHR) Hampshire and the Isle of Wight Comprehensive Local Research Network (now NIHR Wessex CRN). Greta held a joint post (2012-2017) with Portsmouth Hospitals NHS Trust (PHT) and the University of Southampton as Director of Clinical Academic Practice for the university and NIHR Collaboration for Leadership in Applied Health Research and Care (CLAHRC) Wessex. She led the university’s clinical academic training programme for nurses, midwives and allied health professionals and was promoted to Professor for this work. Greta joined the Florence Nightingale Foundation in 2017 as the Chief Operating Officer and has been the CEO since September 2019. Greta is a proud Registered Nurse and a Florence Nightingale Foundation Alumna (2012 Leadership Scholar). In December 2020, Greta was awarded a CBE in the New Year Honours List 2021 for services to Nursing and Midwifery.
Dr Gemma Stacey is the Director of the Academy at the Florence Nightingale Foundation. Prior to joining the Foundation Gemma was a Mental Health Nurse and was employed as an Associate Professor at the University of Nottingham. Her research and practice is underpinned by a critical consideration of the organisational, relational and professional factors which influence the expression of values in healthcare practice. She is committed to the premise of education as a vehicle to promote the emancipatory practice and has developed a program of externally funded applied healthcare research focused on approaches which enable transformational learning.
As Director of Public Engagement, she offered strategic leadership in this area at an executive level and motivated diverse teams to implement significant programmes of work aimed at enriching and animating the work of the University to improve its accountability, relevance and responsiveness to wider society. Her commitment to creating relationships with a vast range of partners in diverse sectors has resulted in co-designed knowledge exchange, research and educational innovation which has impacted on curriculum, policy, professional regulatory guidelines for nursing at a national and international level. Her credibility and influence is externally benchmarked by her accreditation as a Principle Fellow of the Higher Education Academy.
She is currently Director of the newly formed Florence Nightingale Foundation Academy where she will lead a strategy to establish the Academy as an independent ‘go to’ service for leadership development opportunities, identifying and exploiting evidence, and the provision of expert, well informed opinion and advice on issues that impact on patient care and experience.
Jacqui is the Director of Nursing at National Services Scotland (NHS NSS) and has executive leadership responsibility for Allied Health Professionals (AHPs), Healthcare Associated Infection (HAI) and Quality. She has contributed to national policy on safe staffing legislation, public health, excellence in care and NMC standards. She has a joint appointment at Glasgow Caledonian University, where she is a Professor of Infection Prevention and is the research group lead for the Safeguarding Health through Infection Prevention (SHIP) research group.
With a background in epidemiology, public health and clinical leadership in the NHS in Scotland, Jacqui has working in a variety of settings, nationally and locally, inclusive of acute care and public health. She was the Lead Consultant for HAI, Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) and Infection Prevention and Control (IPC) in the national public health organisation, Health Protection Scotland, for over 10 years. Having authored more than 200 peer-reviewed publications, she has contributed extensively to national and international guidelines, including the World Health Organisation (WHO) core components for IPC.
During the COVID-19 response she has chaired the CNO Scotland COVID-19 Nosocomial review group and the UK CMO AGP independent panel. She is also a member of the CMO Advisory group and Scottish Government groups on care homes and public health threats, as well as the UK SAGE sub- group on hospital onset COVID-19.
Jacqui was past elected chair of the European Centre for Disease Control (ECDC) HAI network coordinating committee and has contributed to UK and international policy on AMR and IPC. She is a fellow of the Faculty of Public Health (FFPH) and the Royal Society of Biology (FRSB).
Colonel Sharon Findlay joined the Queen Alexandra’s Royal Army Nursing Corps in December 1989 as a student nurse. After qualifying she worked in secondary care in Aldershot and Northern Ireland. She was later selected as a recruit instructor at Army Training Regiment in Lichfield prior to commissioning in 1996. Colonel Findlay worked in both Primary and Secondary Care and returned to recruit training as a Platoon Commander at Army Training Regiment in Lichfield before specialising in Primary Care and attaining her Nurse Practitioner qualification in 2006. Following an assignment to Brunei, and on completion of the Intermediate Command and Staff Course in 2010, she was promoted to Lieutenant Colonel and worked in Army Headquarters as SO1 General Practice, and latterly was the lead SO1 for Director Army Nursing Services prior to moving to the Army Personnel in Glasgow as a SO1 Clinical Cadres. She was recognised for her contribution to patient care through the award of the Queens Commendation for Valuable Service in the Operation Honours list for Op TELIC 1 and was admitted to the Order of St John in 2015. Colonel Findlay has recently returned to Lichfield as Defence Nursing Advisor where she will be responsible for central strategy and policy for Defence Nursing. She is a trustee for the Florence Nightingale Foundation and member of the Royal College of Nursing, Nursing Advisory Group.
Rosa is the Nottingham and Nottinghamshire CCG/ICS Chief Nurse, supporting the development of a forward leaning integrated care system. She has had a varied career and worked in a variety of settings and in a 3rd sector charity working with the military across the world. Following a return to the UK in 2015, she has had held a number of roles within the Nottinghamshire system with a focus on achieving quality through partnerships, developing and embedding person centred care approaches and system leadership.
Rosa has led the development of personalised care through the Nottingham and Nottinghamshire early adopter programme, putting people at the heart of the system supporting link workers, community development and embedding of personal health budgets, with a focus on the survivors of sexual violence. Rosa is also a passionate supporter of equality and the LGBTQ+ Exec Champion, as well as working to support and empower young women as the leader of a number of units in Girl Guiding UK.
Deborah C. Small, DNP, RN, NE-BC, is the Chief Nursing Officer (CNO) for Cleveland Clinic’s newest hospital, Cleveland Clinic London. Charged with leading all nursing services for Cleveland Clinic London, Ms. Small establishes nursing practice standards and offers strategic guidance and support for the opening of the new 185-bed private healthcare facility near Buckingham Palace.
Ms Small is a nurse leader who has extensive clinical experience and numerous career accomplishments in strategic business development, service line leadership and quality improvement. Ms. Small has spent more than 30 years in the nursing profession. She has held varying leadership roles in both administrative, academic and clinical nursing management – successfully developing, organizing and leading diverse healthcare teams to achieve operational, fiscal and organizational success.
Ms. Small is a board-certified nurse executive (NE-BC) by the American Nurses Credentialing Center. She is an active member of the American Organization of Nurse Leaders, Sigma Theta Tau and a founding board member of the North Carolina Great 100 Nurses program. She holds a Doctor of Nursing Practice degree from Case Western Reserve University and a Master of Science in Nursing Administration degree from Duquesne University.
Dr Louise Bramley is the Head of Nursing and Midwifery Research at Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust (NUH). She is a senior nurse with a wealth of clinical, research and leadership experience in acute care and healthcare of older people and currently combines research and practice at Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust (NUH). Louise received her PhD from the University of Nottingham in 2016 and holds an honorary Associate Professor appointment at the University of Nottingham. Louise was recently recognised by the NIHR as one of their 70@70 Nursing Research Leaders and works closely in this role alongside the Research and Innovation Department at NUH. As Head of Nursing and Midwifery Research, Louise is responsible and is passionate about capacity and capability for front-line nurses and midwives to undertake primary research that improves patient outcomes. She is co-founder the East Midlands Clinical Academic Practitioner Network and sits on a number of national and regional steering groups in relation to developing clinical academic roles for nurses, midwives and AHPs. She is also a member of the editorial board of the Journal of Research in Nursing.
As a senior nurse at NUH, Louise is also a key leader in the NUH Institute of Nursing and Midwifery Care Excellence (Institute). Formed in 2017, the Institute hosts three programmes of work: Research and Innovation, Education and Workforce Development and the Excellence in Care programme office. These programmes of work take an innovative approach to working with nurses and midwives across NUH to improve patient outcomes and increase patient and staff satisfaction. They focus on talent management, celebrating success, research and innovation and leadership development. This programme of work has recently seen NUH City Hospital campus become the first ANCC ®Magnet Accredited hospital in the UK.
Wendy is currently working within PHE, as Deputy Chief Nurse, Deputy Head of World Health Organization Collaborating Centre for Public Health Nursing and Midwifery & Programme Director for Best Start in Life. This includes: providing professional leadership for public health nurses to strengthen local delivery & improve health and wellbeing outcomes for children, young people and families; leading policy development, generating and disseminating evidence relating for Maternity, Best Start in Life and 5-24. During Covid-19, as Deputy SRO she provided leadership, expert clinical and public health advice relating to children, young people, families and schools.
As Deputy Head of the WHO CC, she leads the work programme, generating and evidence, translating evidence into action; providing professional and clinical advice to other Collaborating Centres and member states. She is also an Honorary Senior Lecturer at the University of Keele.
Wendy regularly blogs, writes for professional journals and co-authored School nursing: Making a difference in adolescent health and wellbeing (2016) International handbook on adolescent health and development. Wendy volunteers as a member of Regional BBC Children in Need main Grants Committee and as an Independent Visitor for Looked after Children. She was awarded the MBE in the New Year 2019 honours list for services to nursing & children.
Catherine is the Chief Nurse and Director of Governance at Homerton University Hospital. Catherine has over 30 years NHS experience including care of older people, health visiting, working as part of a neighbourhood nursing team and working with families affected by drug and alcohol issues. She has also served as a service commissioner in Brent and Harrow and later as a director of commissioning in Hertfordshire.
She has worked at NHS England focusing on patient experience and safeguarding children, and in recent years, she has worked at Hertfordshire Partnership NHS Foundation Trust in a role focusing on patient safety and quality.
Catherine has worked with NHS Improvement as a nurse fellow developing resources to support ward sisters and team leaders across the NHS in England. The ward leader handbook was published in October 2018.
Lesley is Executive Director of Nursing: Chief Operating Officer North Tyneside CCG, and also Visiting Professor at Northumbria University.
Lesley is a nurse, midwife, health visitor, organisational development practitioner and experienced Director with over 40 years’ experience working in the NHS and in Saudi Arabia. She has held a number of clinical and leadership roles in relation to community and hospital care as well as organisational development and commissioning.
She is passionate about ensuring the delivery of high quality person centred care supported by creative staff development opportunities. Lesley is committed to building capacity and capability in applied research and maximising the use of technology and innovations.
Rchard is the CEO at Sears Healthcare Ltd. He is an experienced senior executive level nurse with ongoing strategic development and operational management experience in the independent sector. Richard’s career began as a care assistant in a residential home, and he has held many diverse clinical and operational roles across a number of specialities. Recent roles have included the strategic leadership and management of both clinical and support functions including, hotel services, learning and development, customer complaints, research and development and quality assurance teams. He has an extensive professional network across the nursing leadership infrastructure and the independent adult social care sector. Richard currently sits on the NHS England Independent Care Sector Board, Department of Health Independent Sector Nursing Advisory Forum, and regularly speaks at nursing and independent sector events.
Kim is the Assistant Chief Nurse at North Middlesex University Hospital in North Central London. Kim has over 25 years in NHS experience covering various operational and clinical roles across a number of specialities; her current role covers workforce, education, safer staffing, ward accreditation and harm free care.
She has worked as deputy project director for Capital Nurse and led on various projects across North London Partners including Advanced Clinical Practice, Trainee Nursing Associates sector recruitment, beyond preceptorship and the graduate guarantee offer.
More recently Kim has led on the COVID vaccination project at her Trust which included running a hospital vaccination hub; setting up a mass vaccination site and “pop up” clinics as well as co-chaired the delivery group across North Central London.
