Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust has announced its first Clinical Academic Professor in Nursing, one of the first roles of its type to be set up in the UK.
Dr Annette Hand will be a fully-fledged clinical chair, in a joint post between Newcastle Hospitals and Northumbria University. The role has been set up to support and deliver outstanding nursing in education and research, and is the first of its kind in the North East.
Professor Debbie Porteous, Head of the Department of Nursing, Midwifery and Health at Northumbria University, said: “The appointment of Professor Annette Hand to this flagship clinical academic joint appointment between the Newcastle upon Tyne Foundation Trust and Northumbria University will drive the collaborative research agenda forward to fundamentally improve patient and carer outcomes.
“This is a unique role and one of the first in the country for nursing. Together, working on the development and appointment of Annette to this unique role, will enhance and improve both the university and trust’s national and international reputation for nursing education, research, and practice. I am proud to be part of this development and look forward to further clinical academic joint appointments.”
Annette will start in the role this week, while also managing her commitments as an Associate Professor at Northumbria University, as a Nurse Consultant for Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust and as the UK Clinical Lead for Nursing (Parkinson’s). She will continue to work in clinical practice one day a week.
On her appointment, Annette said: “I’ve been working towards this over the last 20 years of my clinical practice and, more recently, as a clinical academic – it’s definitely the pinnacle of my academic career and a fantastic opportunity
“It’s so exciting to be driving the nursing agenda further forward with two organisations that are absolutely committed to working together in research, education and clinical practice to improve patient outcomes and patient care.
“Our ambition is to make our profession more professional – not just at a local level but nationally and internationally.”
