Meet the Team

On this page you will be introduced to the team behind the South East Nursing Programme. If you would like to contact the team, please email nursingandmidwifery.se@hee.nhs.uk

John has over 30 years’ experience across the NHS and Higher Education. John has worked at HEE since its inception, initially as Director of Education and Quality in Thames Valley and then the South of England before moving to the Midlands and East of England as Regional Chief Nurse and Head of Allied Health Professions.  Passionate about nursing and student experience John is driven by the need to develop a highly skilled, multi-professional workforce. 

John has led a number of national programmes including RePAIR, Return to Practice, the development of HEEs multi-professional Advanced Clinical Practice Framework and the Dementia Education and Training Programme. 

John began his career working in Critical/Coronary Care and emergency medicine before moving to London where he worked for ten years in a number of senior leadership roles.  On leaving London, John worked in Higher Education leading the development of vocational learning opportunities and aligning university provision with service needs. 

A Registered Adult Nurse John has a degree in Critical Care, Post-graduate qualifications in Teaching and Learning, and Healthcare Ethics, and a MA in Leadership and Management.  John is a Visiting Professor at the University of Bedfordshire. 

Zoe started her career in the NHS 40 years ago and has also worked in Higher Education.  She is a registered nurse and nurse lecturer and has worked in primary, secondary and tertiary care; in A&E, ITU, in a hospice, as a practice nurse, night nurse practitioner and immunisation specialist nurse. Zoe worked as a Senior Lecturer, and Director of Practice in a SE University. She has worked and led on a number of regional projects including the introduction of a pan London placement agreement and a standard practice assessment document and design for pre-registration student nurses.  

Zoe has worked for HEE since 2013 and was responsible for the development of the tier 1 Dementia training which was rolled out nationally. She currently leads on the implementation and monitoring of the NHS education contract, and procurement and commissioning of education and training for clinical professions and supporting the nursing 50K programme across the SE.  

Currently focusing on the domestic nursing supply, Agnes coordinates key strategic programmes that impact the capacity and capability of nurses and midwives working in multi-disciplinary teams across the region.  

Agnes’ career has chiefly been the support of the education of nurses and midwives in the care provided to patients through the application of physiology and evidence-based practice. As a registered nurse, Agnes studied medical sciences (modular degree), MSc. comparative physiology, and her doctorate (exploring the impact of shift patterns on nurses). Agnes’ experience spans Further Education, Higher Education including RCN Institute, NHSU, and NMC (Fitness to Practise).  

Claire is the regional Return to Practice and Nursing Associate Lead. Claire also supports Healthcare Support Workers, apprenticeships, career and school engagement and widening participation.  Claire is an adult nurse by background in acute settings with over 20 years in medicine and acute vascular surgery. She then moved into education where she gained her master’s in Education and Practice Development. Claire is passionate about supporting learners to develop themselves to the fullest of their potential and help achieve their aspirations. 

Karen joined the Nursing Team in Health Education England (SE) in June 2022. Karen is a Doctor in Education, an Honorary Professor in Brunel University London and an experienced nurse educator. Karen is particularly interested in the experience of learning in practice. Karen previously worked in the NHS for 18 years and has spent an equivalent time in the HEI sector. Most recently, she established a new School of Nursing in Brunel University London and was the Head of School. Karen is a dual NMC Registrant (Adult and Children) and her clinical expertise is in adult and paediatric intensive care and retrieval. In addition to a Doctorate, Karen is a qualified coach (personal performance and corporate) and she has number of academic qualifications: PGDip in Education; MSc in Paediatric Critical Care (Advanced Nurse Practice); PGDip in Health Care Ethics. Karen is also  a Fellow (Advanced HE).  

Juliet is a Registered Nurse (Adult) by background, with a long career that has been focused on practice education, facilitation and development across health and education settings.  

Over the years Juliet has been directly involved with many aspects of learning and development, ranging from teaching clinical skills, supporting the design of new programme and curricula and quality assurance of learning environments.  Juliet has led initiatives such as the implementation of coaching models for supervision and is passionate about supporting the development of learning environments that nurture and nourish individuals at every stage of their career.  

Remi works as Programme Support Manager for the South East Nursing and Midwifery Team. He has been with HEE and the NHS since late 2018 having previously worked in translation and captioning for people who are deaf or hard-of-hearing. Remi primarily supports the 50k nurse expansion programme and the Reducing Pre-registration Attrition and Improving Retention (RePAIR) programme across the South East. While his background is not in nursing, his role predominantly involves communication, planning, reporting and logistics, and the use of technology to manage these areas effectively. 

Karen is the project support co-ordinator for the South East Nursing and Midwifery team. She joined the team in February 2022 and provides a range of administrative support to assist the team in the development of the Nursing and Midwifery workforce across the South East. 

Karen has a breadth of administrative skills and has previously worked for a large commercial organisation, where she gained several years of experience in the management of business processes. Her role mainly consists of planning, communication and co-ordinating, along with supporting the team on day-to-day basis. 

Debbie is the Business Management Support Officer within the South East Nursing and Midwifery team and supports Prof. John Clark and Zoe Scullard with their day-to-day diary commitments. 

Debbie is an experienced senior administrator and started her career in the Women’s Royal Navy Service. 

Debbie joined the NHS in 1999 working in acute and community provider Trusts as an administrator and latterly in HEE in 2013 as Personal Assistant to the Director of Education and Quality in Thames Valley.  In December 2019 she retired, however, returned to HEE in March 2022 to take on her current role. 

Elaine has worked for Health Education England since its formation in 2012 working in a variety of roles related to pre-registration, non-medical education and training, working across South London. 

She has been supporting employers and education providers to navigate the apprenticeship agenda since pre-levy days and joined the national HEE Talent for Care team in November 2019 as an Apprenticeship Relationship manager working across the South East, including very closely with the SE Nursing & Midwifery team.

Elaine has worked closely on the Trainee Nursing Associate programme since it was introduced in 2016 and more recently has been working with the team on the apprenticeship element of the Nurse 50K manifesto commitment