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Scottish Stroke Nurses Forum

Get to know the committee

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Elizabeth Barrie

Elizabeth Barrie

Lead Nurse Stroke Services, NHS Ayrshire & Arran - Ayrshire & Arran

Elizabeth provides expert nursing leadership and advice in the prevention, treatment and management of stroke. She is also responsible for leading the education and research agenda and developing nursing staff in relation to stroke care. Her clinical background includes acute stroke, acute medicine, acute care of older person and continuing care. Elizabeth serves on the National Advisory Committee for Stroke, Scottish Stroke Nurses Forum, and is involved in the Scottish Stroke Research Network. She also sits on NHS Ayrshire and Arran MCN Stroke Steering group and all MCN sub groups.

Email: [email protected]
Tel: 01563825836

Currently Vacant

Argyll and Bute

Sandi Haines, Vice Chairperson, appointed 2017

Stroke Co-ordinator, Borders General Hospital, Melrose - Borders

Deputy: Jamie Thomson email: <a href="mailto:[email protected]"[email protected]

Email: [email protected]
Tel: 01896 826096

Karen Smith

Stroke Liaison Nurse, Dumfries & Galloway Royal Infirmary - Dumfries & Galloway

My name is Karen Smith and I work as a stroke liaison nurse in Dumfries and Galloway. I qualified in 2007 and took on the role of nurse coordinator in the Community Rehab Unit for three and a half years. Many of the patients who attended the Rehab Unit had suffered strokes of varying degrees and that is where my interest in stroke started. I applied for the 15hr post as stroke liaison nurse in Dumfries and Galloway royal infirmary and it wasn’t long before I went on to apply for the post of community stroke nurse covering Dumfries/Upper Nithsdale and the Stewartry region. My role gives me the opportunity to provide support to the patient (and their family and carers) from the acute phase to discharge.

Email: [email protected]

Currently Vacant

Forth Valley

Fiona Sales

Fiona Sales

Grampian

I am Fiona Sales and have just recently the SNNF Committee as the member representing Grampian. I have been the CHSS Stroke Nurse for Grampian since 2007 and run Nurse led Clinics for patients in Grampian with a diagnosis of minor or TIA providing advice and support. I am interested in promoting stroke nursing and the very rewarding career pathway it can bring. I am excited to be part of the SSNF Committee and to be part of the changes that they are involved in particularly around the constitution and also thrombectomy nursing and the opportunities that it will bring to nurses.

Email: [email protected]
Tel: 01224 551871

Eileen Cowey

Eileen Cowey

University Teacher/Researcher, University of Glasgow - Greater Glasgow (North)

Eileen’s research in acute stroke units focuses on end of life care, catheterisation practices and decision making. Her clinical background includes coronary care, intensive care and surgical nursing, as well as occupational health nursing. She serves on the steering committee of the National Stroke Nursing Forum (UK) and sits on the NHS Greater Glasgow & Clyde Stroke MCN Education Sub-committee. She is a reviewer for various palliative, rehabilitation and nursing journals. Eileen is secretary of the Scottish Stroke Nurses Forum.

Email: [email protected]
Tel: 0141 330 2069

Angela Welch

Angela Welch

NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde

I qualified as a Staff Nurse in 2002 and spent my first 1.5 years working in Neurosurgery/Neurology/Maxillofacial rotational post. I then got a permanent position in Neuro HDU where I spent 5.5 years.
In 2006 I gained my Masters in Health Care.
In 2009 I joined the Stroke Research team and worked half my time as a research nurse and half as a staff nurse in the acute stroke unit where patients were thrombolysed.
In 2016 I went back to research full time where I have been involved in a number of hyperacute stroke trials such as ATTEST/ATTEST2, WAKE-UP, TEMPO2 and ECASSIV-Extend.
I have a specialist interest in hyper-acute stroke care and in particular door to needle times in thrombolysis.

Email: [email protected]
Tel: 0141 451 5894

Linda Campbell, Chairperson, appointed 2017

Linda Campbell, Chairperson, appointed 2017

Stroke Co-ordinator, NHS Highland - Highland

Linda started her nursing career working with those with learning disabilities. From there she went to the City Hospital in Aberdeen as a staff nurse in Care of the Elderly, Rheumatology and Chest Medicine before moving to Woodend Hospital working in the Day Hospital and then in Elderly Assessment and Rehabilitation. In 1991 she returned to the Highlands and has worked for the NHS in a variety of posts. In 2004 she became Stroke Co-ordinator for NHS Highland and has continued in this post since then. Linda joined the SSNF in 2002 and is the current chair-person of the SSNF and the lead for the SSNF Education and Training Subgroup. She also represents the SSNF on the UK Stroke Forum. She is especially interested in dysphagia management, rehabilitation and self-management.

Email: [email protected]
Tel: 01463 704086

Jennifer MacKay

Lanarkshire

Trish Elder-Gracie

Trish Elder-Gracie

Stroke Specialist Nurse, NHS Lothian - Lothian

Trish qualified as a RGN in Dundee in 1985. Since qualifying she has worked in numerous specialities throughout the UK from critical care to medicine of the elderly. In 2001 Trish became Senior Charge Nurse in Stroke Rehabilitation and Acute Care and has continued to deliver and promote specialised services for stroke patients. Trish has collaborated with CHSS to develop further education through the STARS modules to further develop nurses, AHP and carers. The increasing demand of the importance of immediate intervention for stroke has led to her present post as Stroke Nurse Specialist. She works closely with Emergency Medicine to initiate the stroke pathway to optimise patient outcome.

Email: [email protected]
Tel: 0131 536 1000

Gowri Saravanan

NHS Shetland - Northern Islands

Deputy

Email: [email protected]

Susan Kidd, Deputy

Tayside

Email: [email protected]

Rhona Martin

Rhona Martin

Fife

I am Rhona Martin representing Fife on the SSNF Committee. I qualified in 2003 and spent 7 years as a Staff Nurse within the Sir George Sharp Young Neurology Rehabilitation Unit I was a Chest Heart & Stroke Scotland Nurse in Fife for 9 years and have recently been appointed the CHSS Lead Stroke Nurse for Fife.

I have always had an interest in the complexity of stroke and promoting excellent stroke care for the patient and their carers. Psychological care following stroke is of particular interest to me and I currently sit on the Fife Psychology MCN Working Group with the aim of providing consistent assessment and care in all areas of stroke care within Fife.

Being on the SSNF Committee allows a greater understanding of not only local policies but national policy development and campaigns. It is a particularly exciting time with Thrombectomy being implemented in NHS Boards across Scotland.

Email: [email protected]
Tel: 01383 565125

General Members - below

Norma Moir

General Healthcare Assistant Rep -

Karen Garrott

Karen Garrott

Head of Stroke Support - Scotland -

“Karen has over 34 years’ experience of working in the statutory, voluntary and private sector in the field of disability. As well as having lived experience of stroke Karen has a background in nursing and midwifery. Utilising her knowledge she has worked with individuals who have had a stroke both in the acute and community setting both in the NHS in Scotland and as far afield as Africa. Karen joined the Stroke Association as Head of Stroke Support in September 2018”

Email: [email protected]
Tel: 0131 555 7247

Abbi Tracey

Abbi Tracey

Lecturer, University of the Highlands and Islands - General Committee Member

Abbi has been a registered nurse since 2008 and has worked in acute stroke and critical care settings throughout Scotland. She completed an MSc in Health Care (Stroke Care) in 2011 and joined University of the Highlands and Islands as a lecturer in adult nursing in 2018. Abbi has been an SSNF member since 2009 and was previously a committee member for Greater Glasgow North. Her professional and research interests include acute stroke nursing, palliative care and simulation based nursing education. She is a STAT trainer and continues to be involved in stroke education within NHS Highland.

Email: [email protected]
Tel: 01463 279816

Lorna Dunn

General Member -

Di Rennie, Treasurer

Di Rennie, Treasurer

Clinical Site Co-ordinator, NHS Lothian - General Member - General Committee Member

Di currently works in the Site and Capacity team within NHS Lothian based between Edinburgh Royal Infirmary and St John’s Hospital, Livingston as clinical site coordinator. The role is complex, involving supporting staff at the front and back door whilst maintaining patient flow. Di has worked with the SSNF committee for quite some time and is currently responsible for balancing the books as Treasurer. Di also represents the SSNF in the Scottish Non Malignant Palliative Care Forum which is relatively new, only starting 2 years ago

Email: [email protected]

Anne Rowat

Anne Rowat

Lecturer, Edinburgh Napier University - General Member - General Committee Member

Anne has been a SSNF committee member since 2004 and is the current chair of the Research Action Group. She is a lecturer in adult nursing at Edinburgh Napier University and her research is focused around the theme of complications after stroke. Research has included investigating hypoxia and hypotension during feeding and patient positioning and factors associated with the development of dehydration after stroke. She is also involved in a collaborative study to determine tailored self-management strategies for stroke. Her research work on stroke has informed guidelines and best practice statements. As result of this work she has been awarded a Young Achiever Award and the John Scrimgeour Medal for best non-medical research. She is also on the advisory panel for the art and science section that co-ordinated a series of stroke articles for the Nursing Standard.

Email: [email protected]
Tel: 0131 455 5670

General Committee Member: Vacancy

General Member - General Committee Member

How to apply

Joanne Graham

Joanne Graham

Regional Manager – Clinical & Partnership Services, Chest Heart & Stroke Scotland Representative -

Joanne has worked for Chest Heart & Stroke Scotland for over 10 years and previously worked within NHS Fife. She has extensive experience in the development and delivery of stroke specific education in Scotland and now manages the stroke education and E-Learning team within CHSS as well as all CHSS stroke nursing services across Scotland. She supports the development of all CHSS E-Learning modules including STARs, as well as being author and reviewer on Stroke4carers and selfhelp4stroke and has developed a DVD learning resource for carers of patients following stroke in Fife. Currently she represents CHSS in many Managed Clinical Networks and is leading on the creation of CHSS Thrombectomy Education delivery throughout Scotland for 2020. Joanne remains a STAT trainer and continues to support stroke education delivery throughout Scotland.

Email: [email protected]
Tel: 0131 225 6963

Clare McFarlane

Scottish Stroke Research Network manager - SSRN representative - SSRN

Tel: 0141 232 1073
Email: [email protected]

Lisa Kidd

Lisa Kidd

Research Fellow, Glasgow Caledonian University - General Member - General Committee Member -

Lisa is based in the School of Health & Life Sciences/Institute for Applied Health Research. Her clinical background includes acute surgical nursing and her research interests include stroke self-management, person-centred healthcare and patient and public engagement. Lisa has recently received funding from the Burdett Trust for Nursing and the National Institute for Health Research which focuses on self-management and has peer reviewed for several nursing and health-related journals as well as funding bodies. Lisa is a Scottish Stroke Nurse Forum committee member and is currently leading the development of a UK-wide Stroke Self-Management Network, to promote the development and sharing of evidence-based practice and practice-based evidence around stroke self-management.

Susan Kidd

Susan Kidd

Stroke Liaison Nurse Team - Tayside

I am Stroke Liaison Nurse Team leader representing NHS Tayside on the SSNF committee.

I qualified in 1994 and spent some years in respiratory medicine and a short stint in dermatology. I went to work in neurosurgery in 1998 as a senior staff nurse and after obtaining a Neurosciences nursing Degree at Queen Margaret University - I secured a post as an Acquired Brain Injury Resource worker in social work, Angus Health and Social Care Partnership in 2003.

In 2016 I came back to NHS Tayside as Team Leader for Stroke Liaison Nurse Service.

I have also had an interest in the Neurosciences - particularly Acquired brain Injury and more specifically Stroke in recent years.

I have been a committee member of Scottish Head Injury Forum for many years

Current committee vacancies