Please briefly describe your clinical/medical experience to date?
I am an experienced Children’s Nurse, qualifying in 1998 from The Nightingale Institute at King’s College University, London , with an extensive career spanning acute, community, and ambulatory paediatric services. Currently working as Paediatric Matron for a Children’s Hospital at Home (H@H) at Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust, I provide strategic and operational leadership for children’s services, with a particular focus on delivering safe, high-quality acute care closer to home. My clinical expertise includes paediatric acute care, community children’s nursing, Hospital at Home models, complex care coordination, enhanced assessment and decision-making, and service development. Alongside my clinical leadership role, I contribute nationally as a clinical lead for NHS England GIRFT reviews, Paediatric Lead and Director for the UK Hospital at Home Society, and lead the South of England team for the Enhanced Paediatric Nursing Skills (EPNS) programme. Throughout my career, I have remained committed to improving outcomes for children and young people through innovation, quality improvement, workforce development, and family-centred care.
What motivated you to enter paediatric care in the first place?
Growing up in a large extended family surrounded by cousins, nieces and nephews, I was always comfortable around children and enjoyed being involved in their care and development from a young age. This early experience gave me the confidence and desire to pursue a career working with children. What attracted me most to paediatric nursing was the unique opportunity to care not only for the child but also to work in true partnership with parents and families, supporting them through every step of their healthcare journey. Throughout my career, I have continually been inspired by the remarkable courage, resilience and positivity shown by children living with health conditions or diseases that impact their everyday lives and development. Their ability to face challenges with determination and optimism remains one of the most rewarding and motivating aspects of my role, and continues to drive my passion for providing compassionate, family-centred care.
How will the funding from The Evie Dove Foundation help you to advance your career and your impact/services to children?
Funding from The Evie Dove Foundation would provide me with a unique opportunity to attend the World Hospital at Home Congress in February 2027, a leading international event bringing together experts, clinicians, researchers and innovators who are shaping the future of care delivered closer to home. As a Paediatric Matron for Acute Hospital at Home and a passionate advocate for advancing children’s healthcare, attending this conference would be invaluable both for my own professional development and for the children and families our services support.
Paediatric Hospital at Home is transforming the way healthcare is delivered, enabling children with acute and complex health needs to receive high-quality care in the comfort and safety of their own homes. This approach not only reduces hospital admissions and length of stay but also minimises disruption to family life, education, emotional wellbeing and normal childhood development. As these models continue to evolve internationally, it is essential that we remain connected to emerging evidence, innovation and best practice.
Attending the World Hospital at Home Congress would enable me to learn directly from global leaders in the field, share experiences with colleagues from across the world, and understand how other healthcare systems are addressing challenges and developing new approaches to care. The opportunity to build international networks is particularly important, as collaboration and shared learning are key to ensuring that children receive the best possible care regardless of where they live.
The knowledge, insights and connections gained from the conference would be brought back into my organisation and shared widely through local, regional and national networks. This would help inform service development, quality improvement initiatives and workforce education, ultimately benefiting more children and families by supporting the continued growth of safe, effective and family-centred paediatric Hospital at Home services. The funding would therefore have an impact far beyond my own career development, helping to strengthen services that enable children to receive the right care, in the right place, at the right time, while remaining surrounded by the people and environments that matter most to them.
How did you find out about The Evie Dove Foundation?
I heard about the Evie Dove Foundation through a paediatric nurse who has had previous experience of the Foundation.
Tell us about yourself!
Outside of work, I enjoy a busy family life in rural South Oxfordshire. After qualifying as a children’s nurse, I spent 15 years living and working in London before returning to Oxfordshire when my husband and I started a family. We have two teenage sons and have enjoyed some wonderful adventures along the way, including relocating to Dubai when our youngest son was just nine weeks old. We lived there for eight years before returning to the UK and settling back into life in the countryside.
When I’m not working, I enjoy spending time with family and friends, reading, and attending live theatre, whether it’s a West End production, a local performance, or an outdoor event. I am also passionate about gardening and love caring for our pets. I have a very close group of friends-4 of us who started secondary school together who I love catching up with and we have been there for each other through life’s ups and downs and even have a name – The EDC- Emergency Drinks Committee!
Anything else you would like to tell us about your experience, future aspirations and motivations?
I feel incredibly fortunate to be working at a time when paediatric Hospital at Home services are expanding and gaining recognition across the UK and internationally. My future aspiration is to continue playing an active role in shaping and advancing these services so that more children and young people can benefit from high-quality care delivered closer to home. I am passionate about ensuring that service development is always informed by the voices and experiences of children, young people and their families, as they are the true experts in understanding what matters most during times of illness and recovery.
I am equally passionate about supporting the growing community of paediatric nurses and healthcare professionals who share a vision for delivering innovative, family-centred care outside traditional hospital settings. Through leadership, education, networking and collaboration, I hope to continue helping others develop the skills, confidence and evidence base needed to expand Hospital at Home services safely and effectively.
Looking ahead, I am excited by the opportunities to learn from colleagues across the world, share best practice, and contribute to a future where more children can receive the right care, in the right place, at the right time. Ultimately, my motivation remains the same as it was when I first became a children’s nurse: to improve the lives of children and families and to ensure that care is delivered in a way that supports not only their health, but also their wellbeing, development and quality of life.
