• Neonatal Competencies 1-7 (pdf)
• Neonatal Care BSc
• PENNE Forum
• Celebrating Best Practice Day
• Regional Seminar Programme
• Neonatal Nurse Educators
  

The BSc honours degree with module pathways is available at the University of Leeds and University of Hull. If you are interested please contact E.Crathern@leeds.ac.uk  at the School of  Healthcare Studies Leeds University or rhona.williams@hull.ac.uk at the School of Healthcare Studies Hull University.

Further information from Gwynn Bissell (Tel 0113-3925120 or e-mail gwynn.bissell@leedsth.nhs.uk) or Val Christian (Tel 01482 604442 or e-mail   valerie.christian@hey.nhs.uk).

See Courses page for further details.

The Practice-Development and Education Neonatal Nurses North East Forum- or PENNE Forum for short - has established terms of reference and already commenced the planning of several projects for the year to encompass practice and education issues.  The group plan to meet quarterly.  Please come and join us; anyone with an interest in practice or education is welcome to contribute to future Neonatal Nursing practice / education issues throughout the Yorkshire Neonatal Network area.  Hope to see you there!

Dates for 2008 - click here

PENNE forum brochure- click here

Celebrating Best Practice Day - (see Events)

The recent regional celebrating practice days have proved to be an overwhelming success. These days have been well attended and representation was offered by all grades of neonatal nurses working throughout the Yorkshire Region. A range of practices were examined and many new ways of working were highlighted.

Watch this space!  The Network hosts this as an annual event and a call for presentations will be made later next year.

Regional seminar programme - (see Events)

Nurse Educators

Val Christian

As the Regional Neonatal Teacher Practitioner I would like to take this opportunity to introduce myself.  I am a Registered General Nurse, with the ENB 402/998/870/A19, BSc in Health Professional Studies (Advanced Neonatal Practice), Certificate in Practice Education.   My base is the Hull and East Yorkshire NHS Trust and my role has mainly been clinical education, with a special interest in respiratory care.

The Regional Neonatal Teacher Practitioner role was introduced in July 2002; similar roles have also been introduced in Bradford and Leeds. The emphasis for all of us is on co-ordination, support and facilitation. The Hull and East Yorkshire post of Regional Neonatal Teacher Practitioner provides York, Scarborough, and Hull with a recognised link and liaison service, passing information from Region to units and vice versa.

This role will present challenges and will require determination to ensure the role is a success and contributes to a progressing neonatal service.  Each of the neonatal co-ordinators in the Northern and Yorkshire Region will examine issues across the network in an attempt to harmonise best practice. The team will meet regularly for support and to promote collaborative decision making.  Benchmarking and clinical guidelines are high on the agenda and the team’s aim is to help develop action plans to make improvements. The team members will also maintain a presence on relevant committees, including regional benchmarking, education planning groups and national interest groups.

I am keen to engage with staff from all units and would be delighted to hear from anyone. You can contact me at the Women’s & Children’s Hospital, Hull Royal Infirmary, Anlaby Road, Hull HU3 2JZ, Tel:-01482 604442, E-mail: Valerie.christian@hey.nhs.uk. 

Gwynn Bissell: MHSc, BSc (Hons), Post Grad Dip, RGN, ENB 405, 904, 998.N64, NLS

I have a number of years experience working within the speciality of neonatal nursing. During this time I have been fortunate enough to work within both the district general hospital and tertiary unit settings.

Following General Nurse training at Manchester, and then a short 3 month part of midwifery at Bishop Auckland, I moved back into the speciality of neonates. My baptism to neonatal nursing was made at Middlesborough NNU, followed by Odstock (Salisbury) SCBU, Leeds LGI NNU, York SCBU, and then finally back to Leeds LGI and St James’ NNU.

I have previously specialised in the care of family nursing, practising as a family Care Sister and Neonatal Outreach Sister at LGI. A further interest of mine has been within the realms of nurse practice and education. More recently I have undertaken study in research at Sheffield University and taken a lead role in Network research and surveys. This has been around the areas of parents and families. I am very keen that neonatal nurses throughout the network disseminate their work via presentation and publication in the future.

I am currently based within the Leeds Teaching Hospitals, but I also have a responsibility to the network of neonatal units within Yorkshire. My regional area covers Harrogate, Pontefract, Dewsbury and Leeds NNU’s.  

Tel 0113-3925120 or  07810083731: gwynn.bissell@eedsth.nhs.uk

Denise Evans

My area of responsibility is Bradford, Airedale, Huddersfield and Calderdale. I am based at Bradford Neonatal Unit tel 01274 364920 mobile 07940540715 email denise.evans@bradfordhospitals.nhs.uk. I am the Network lead for the development of the non-registered workforce. 

I have worked within neonates for almost 31yrs. My first experience in neonates was 1974 when as a Nursery Nurse I undertook the one year Special Care Baby Course at Lincoln County Hospital. Once I realized this was my vocation I went on to train as a registered nurse at York County Hospital immediately followed by my midwifery training at St James Teaching Hospital. I quickly returned to neonates where I consolidated my training. 

I was accepted on to the Neonatal Joint Board Course 400 at the University Collage Hospital in London. This was an achievement as only 8 hospitals in the country were accredited with this course; most units ran the 402 course. 

In July 1982 I went to Saudi Arabia as part of a commissioning team in order to set up a new hospital The King Khalid National Guard Hospital. We developed all the policies, procedures and ordered the equipment. This was an amazing experience for me I gained knowledge about things I would never have come across in England it was nice not to be constantly worried about how much everything cost. I feel after my experience I became aware of the importance of the team approach. I believe you can’t afford to make enamies in an expatriate environment, also you can’t get away from one another you have to get on and everyone learns to compromise. This is a quality I have brought to the Network.

I returned to England and took up a post at Leeds General Infirmary neonatal unit as the Education Sister looking at induction programs and in service training. I have worked on the neonatal unit as a professional development sister until taking up my post with the Network. Other Neonatal qualifications include the ENB 904 which I undertook at Liverpool and the ENB R23 Enhancing Neonatal Practice which I undertook at Manchester. I believe in the development of the effective, equitable, efficient service sharing best practice and a strong multi disciplinary team ethic.

Last modified: August 2008