About
After qualifying as a nurse, I worked in surgery and intensive care before becoming a Clinical Nurse Specialist in Infection Control. I spent 15 years in this post before leaving the NHS and joining Swansea University as a lecturer. My research interests include infection prevention and control, advanced clinical practice, dementia and Covid-19. Although interested in all aspects of infection prevention and control, I have a particular interest in factors influencing compliance with standard precautions and for my PhD I undertook a study titled ‘Factors influencing sustaining and reporting inoculation injuries in healthcare professionals undertaking exposure prone procedures’. I am the Head of the School of Health and Social Care and I was appointed a professor in March 2019.
As head of the School of Health and Social Care I am responsible for approximately 1400 undergraduate pre-registration nursing students, around 200 post registration and post graduate taught students, and 10 PhD students together with a team of over 50 members of staff. I manage a large departmental budget and have responsibility for overseeing staff recruitment.
As Head of School, I work closely with the Admissions Tutors to oversee and monitor the recruitment and admissions cycle against agreed student numbers, and ensure that commissioned numbers for the pre-registration nursing programme are met. I meet regularly with our commissioners regarding the development of new programmes and issues surrounding the funding of healthcare students.
I maintain a strategic overview of departmental programmes ensuring that all quality standards are adhered to. I guide and agree development within the programmes delivered prior to discussion at relevant committees, taking professional and statutory body requirements into consideration. I was closely involved in developing the new curriculum at Swansea to meet the new NMC Standards for pre-registration nursing programmes and contributed to the development of all-Wales documentation to support the new NMC Standards.
External representation:
- Council of Deans for Health (UK);
- Council of Deans of Health (Wales);
- Workforce portfolio lead for Council of Deans for Health Wales;
- Singleton Service Delivery Unit Management Board;
- Vice Chair, Welsh Nursing and Midwifery Committee;
- Chair of the All Wales Pre-registration Nursing and Midwifery Group.