Jane is an Assistant Professor, Subject lead, Programme and admissions lead in Children and Young People’s Nursing at the University of Northumbria in Newcastle upon Tyne.  Jane joined the team in 2012 after 25 years of clinical nursing practice, and is a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy.  Most recently as pathway lead Jane has jointly developed and is leading the Community Children's Nursing (CCN) SPQ pathway to enhance CCN's to advanced practice level which has been a passion since working as a CCN.

Areas of interest include leadership in  nursing, development of individuals and teams and services, babies, children and young people with complex, life limiting, life threatening conditions,  Enhancing communication and ensuring all children and young people have a voice, end of life care in babies, children and young people and family support and enhancing nursing practice and knowledge to ensure hgh quality care is provided.

Clinical history - Jane completed her Registered General Nurse training at Leeds General Infirmary before moving to Alder Hey Hospital and John Moore University  to become a Registered Sick Children’s Nurse. Settling in Newcastle upon Tyne, she has a wide range of clinical paediatric experience including specialities such as renal, cystic fibrosis, respiratory and oncology, before becoming a research nurse working on studies researching the effects of slow weight gain on development and evaluating specialist intervention.  An interest in working with children with disabilities developed and following three years leading a team in a special school Jane led the development of the Special School Health Nursing Service in Newcastle and its amalgamation with the newly formed Community Children’s  Nursing Team (CCN) where she became a matron. Jane developed and organised training and resources to increase the knowledge and skill level of staff caring for children with a tracheostomy both in community and hospital environments.  This training expanded region wide and was a finalist for two awards for improving safe and effective care.  Whilst within the CCN team two additional services were developed – Children’s Acute Nursing Initiative which won the Health Service Journal Award for enhancing quality and efficiency in children and young people’s services in 2010 and was highlighted by the DoH as an example of excellent practice in their publications.  The second service is the Family Support Team, supporting children and their families in their own homes, nurseries and schools.  Jane's last clinical nursing post was within the Great North Children's Hospital as a Matron experiencing acute nursing care across a wide range of specialities.