Tom Quinn
MPhil, ONC, RGN, ENB
Professor Tom Quinn was awarded Fellowship of the Royal College of Nursing in 2006 for his outstanding contribution to research and practice of cardiac nursing, particularly in relation to nurses, treatment and the care of patients suffering from heart attack.
Tom has vast experience in the field of cardiac care. An early pioneer in cardiovascular nursing, he has worked to extend the boundaries of care in this arena. His vision led to the establishment of many of the core elements of today’s cardiac and emergency nursing practices, a number of which were made possible by his dedication to ensuring developments were tried, tested and published. He has done much to raise the profile of nursing’s contribution to patient care, and has led the way in involving paramedics, GPs and hospital doctors and nurses in decisions on where, and how, to best treat patients suffering acute myocardial infarction.
Tom has extensive clinical experience, including periods at St Bartholomew’s Hospital, the National Heart Hospital and York Hospital, where he led the coronary care team. Since the late 1980s he has been making significant contributions to the development of nursing, and other health care professional roles, within the cardiovascular arena. These include exploring new ways of working to enable the fast delivery of treatment to the patient, as well as pushing forward the boundaries of professional development for health practitioners in this field. As these innovations in nursing practice gained momentum, he was called to assist in developing skills in other professional groups, such as ambulance paramedics. This cross-professional and cross-agency working has become a hallmark of Tom’s success in reducing thrombolysis delivery times, and became a key remit in changing ways of working in this field.
Tom played a leading role in the development of the National Service Framework for Coronary Heart Disease and related policies. He led the multi-centre West Midlands Thrombolysis Project, awarded ‘Beacon’ status in 1999, and later became the heart disease programme lead for a strategic health authority. He has been a member of the government’s Heart Disease Task Force, a member of the European Task Force on Chest Pain, Chairman of the Cardiovascular working group of the European Society of Cardiology, becoming one of only two nurses to be honoured as a Fellow of the organisation. He is also a member of the UK Resuscitation Council, the European Resuscitation Council and the British Cardiac Society.
Respected by fellow cardiac nurses and emergency care staff alike in both pre-hospital and hospital settings because of his clinical expertise, his talent for establishing networking across the health care profession and government bodies has helped push forward the development of health care policies. Described by colleagues as a pioneering, visionary cardiac nurse, he has helped to ensure that skills once the domain of doctors have been brought closer to the cardiac patient in need. He is universally acknowledged as being an excellent role model for cardiac nurses.
With over 50 publications focused on the care of patients with cardiac disease or developing nursing practice, Tom is a well-respected author and is also a member of several international editorial boards. He is a frequent speaker at national and international key cardiac and emergency care events. Currently working jointly with Coventry University and Staffordshire Ambulance Service NHS Trust, he maintains a strong commitment to sharing best practice across professional groups, extending the boundaries of knowledge for national and international audiences. He is also clinical lead for cardiovascular diseases within the National Library for Health and represents the RCN on the Joint Royal Colleges Ambulance Liaison Committee.