After 30 years as an occupational therapist and 23 years with Somek & Associates as an Expert...
- To speak to one of the team, an expert, or for more information please contact us
Search site
Contact our office
Make an enquiry
Contact
Departments
Address
Registered General Nurse, Non Medical Prescribing, Certificate in Diabetes Care, Provisional Member of Expert Witness Institute
I qualified as a registered general nurse in 1986 and subsequently worked in a variety of settings, including orthopaedics, general surgery, cardiology and renal dialysis. I also spent a year working as a residential nurse in a special needs setting and a year working in further education.
I have worked in primary care since 2003, initially as a practice nurse and then as a nurse practitioner. I qualified as a non-medical prescriber in 2013 and since then have worked autonomously, triaging, assessing, investigating, diagnosing and treating a wide range of conditions including minor illness, dermatology, ENT, and predominately long-term conditions.
My clinical skills include clinical assessment, phlebotomy, prescribing, ECG, diabetic foot assessments, dressings, frailty assessments, spirometry interpretation, vaccinating and training.
My main areas of expertise are all primary care based and consist of:
· Diabetes management (I am a diabetes specialist and initiate insulin and other injectable therapies)
· Respiratory condition management, eg asthma, COPD, bronchiectasis. I prescribe specialist medications in these areas
· Other long-term condition management including patients with multimorbidity
· CVD risk assessment and training
· Non-medical prescribing including medication reviews and de prescribing
· All aspects of general practice nursing
· Providing training for staff and patients/relatives
Between 2012 and 2019, I also held the post of practice nurse lead to Newark and Sherwood CCG (in addition to full time nurse practitioner roles) which allowed me to develop strategic thinking and change management skills. I am on the management team in my practice of 22,000 patients and am in the contract and prescribing teams. I develop training schedules, policies and protocols to enable safe and effective development of the practice nurses, nurse associates and HCAs. I devise and run clinical audits to ensure the quality of my work and the work of the wider clinical teams. I lead on IT innovation within my workplace.
I accept instructions from both claimant and defendant solicitors and insurers. I have undergone formal training in the medico-legal process and am fully aware of my responsibilities under Civil Procedure Rules (CPR) pertaining to expert witnesses.