Meet the Team
Alexandra Eden - Forum Chair
Rheumatology Clinical Nurse Specialist
Alex’s rheumatology journey started in 2009 at the East & North Hertfordshire NHS Trust, where she is now the lead nurse. She completed the rheumatology course at Keele University in 2010, and recently achieved a Contemporary Nursing degree (BSc) and non-medical prescribing qualification in 2020.
Alex has a specialist interest in biologic and targeted synthetic therapies, having managed this service over the past 8 years. Prior to being appointed to the rheumatology forum committee she was co-opted to assist in updating the RCN biologics guidance. Alex has an interest in the education of the current & upcoming rheumatology workforce and is co-opted on the BSR education committee. She has provided education and updates locally and nationally.
Alex hopes to use her experience and knowledge to help with the growth and transformation of rheumatology services to ensure they support our nursing staff and are suitable to the needs of our patient cohort.
In the past she has received the NRAS Healthcare Champion Award (2016) & NRAS Rheumatology Team Champion Award (2023).
In her spare time away from rheumatology, Alex is kept busy by her two young children, enjoys playing competitive netball and running.
Alan Davidson
Clinical Nurse Specialist and Independent Prescriber, Community Rheumatology, Modality LLP, Birmingham, West Midlands
Alan qualified in 1992 after training in the Queen AlexandraÃÛÌÒÖ±²¥™s Royal Naval Nursing Service (QARNNS) and serving for 10 years in total in surgical, orthopaedic and medical wards as well as ICU and A&E.
On leaving the military Alan took up various roles before settling in to rheumatology in October 1998 and shortly after undertook his rheumatology qualifications in 2000 at the National Orthopaedic Robert Jones and Agnes Hunt hospital in Oswestry as a resident student for several months.
Working on a rheumatology 22 bedded ward lead to a consolidation of his training and he then went on to become a Liaison Nurse in rheumatology at the Queen Alexandra hospital in Portsmouth where he eventually led on setting the biologics service after being involved in the early trials of the first biologics especially Enbrel. Once the ward eventually closed Alan then went on to help establish a busy Day Unit as the clinical manager of the unit and department which went on to win multiple awards and recognition before he left in 2010 after relocation to the West Midlands where he still currently practices.
His main roles include running rheumatology education and monitoring clinics whilst striving to empower patients with their disease management. As a non-medical prescriber this ensures patients get on to treatment quickly. Alan also helps with keeping guidelines up to date and works with the British Society of Rheumatology on their Standards, Audit and Guidelines Working Group (SAGWG) since October 2021.
Lucy Craig
Professional Nurse Advocate
Lucy qualified as a children’s nurse in 1994 and worked across various acute medical wards at the Great North Children’s Hospital (GNCH) in Newcastle upon Tyne before moving into Children’s Rheumatology as a Nurse Specialist in 2012, she enjoyed the work so much she ended up staying there. Alongside the ‘normal’ role as a children’s Rheumatology nurse specialist, she is the transition co-ordinator within her team and works across the region with Adult Rheumatology colleagues to smooth the transfer process of patients when moving from children’s to adult services.
Lucy has initiated many different quality improvement projects both within Children’s Rheumatology but also for the GNCH. She champions transitional care for teenagers and enjoys teaching and is always looking at service improvement ideas. She also won a Practice Improvement award for pioneering the GNCH Learning Disability Passport for the Hospital to support CYP and families.
She is passionate about supporting her nursing colleagues and recently qualified as a Professional Nurse Advocate, she also works alongside the Speak up Guardian as a champion at Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals.
Helen Lee
Helen qualified as a children’s nurse in Sheffield in 1999 and started work as a Staff Nurse on the Neonatal Surgical Unit at Sheffield Children’s Hospital. She moved onto the daycare unit in 2005 and particularly enjoyed looking after the handful of rheumatology patients who attended each week for treatment. She was fortunate to be one of two nurses who were asked to set up rheumatology nursing service and became a full time rheumatology nurse in 2010 just prior to Sheffield launching its paediatric rheumatology service. Helen is now the lead nurse for this service, runs her own review clinics each week and manages the nursing team comprising of 5 nurses, a support worker and an administrator.
Helen is passionate about helping children and young people with procedural anxiety and does a joint monthly clinic with the team psychologist as well as helping run procedural anxiety workshops for parents with young children who are under the rheumatology team.
Helen enjoys raising awareness of JIA and other rheumatological conditions and provides ward updates as well as student teaching on rheumatology. She has also run the London Marathon twice in 2014 for Arthritis Research and then in 2019 for Versus Arthritis.
Contact
Professional Lead: Sally Wilson
@salsa442
Sally Wilson is a Registered Nurse for Learning Disabilities who has worked in a variety of clinical settings including community nursing, nursing homes, respite and acute care. Sally qualified as a Registered Nurse for Learning Disabilities in 1998 and started working in an assessment and treatment unit for people with learning disabilities and mental health illness. She then worked with older adults with learning disabilities, supporting long term conditions and end of life care in nursing home settings. Sally went on to manage a respite service for adults and children with learning disabilities and complex needs, before joining a community team where she worked in both primary and secondary care. In 2014 she joined an acute team as a Matron for Vulnerable Patients and Safeguarding Adults Lead in a district and general hospital before taking a Professional Lead role with the ÃÛÌÒÖ±²¥. She completed a masterÃÛÌÒÖ±²¥™s in advanced nursing studies, graduating in 2021 the content of her masters had a clear focus on vulnerable patients, safeguarding and the Mental Capacity Act.
Sally chose a career in learning disability nursing after working as a care assistant for 2 years, during which time she learned the essentials of care delivery. She would describe herself as being adaptable enough to recognise the need to change within the profession, flexible enough to change her clinical practice when needed, and tenacious enough to promote a strong ethical base to colleagues.
Sally has been passionately committed to the care of older people for many years and seeks to continue to advocate for this patient group and improve quality of care delivery at all levels.
Page last updated - 22/11/2024
