Meet the team
Doreen Crawford (Chair)
Doreen taught Olympic gymnastics before becoming a registered nurse. During her training, a placement on a children’s ward opened her eyes to an avenue of nursing she had not considered before then.
Following the general qualification and a short period of staffing in a general children’s ward she undertook the RSCN training. Following this she worked on surgical, oncology, and HD wards before going to the neonatal unit and doing the ENB 405.
Promotion and progress through the ranks of a busy midlands neonatal unit followed before commencing the challenge of teaching the next generation of children’s nurses at De Montfort University, in Leicester.
Doreen has amassed a broad range of experience all related to children’s nursing being appointed Consultant Editor of Nursing Children and Young People in January 2010 where she supports the publishing team.
She regularly reviews nursing books for a variety of publishing houses and has experience of the NMC professional conduct panels. She has supported the RCN educational accreditation department for a number of years and has held a number of external examiner appointments.
Jason Gray
Jason gained extensive experience in both mental health and general nursing before deciding to specialise in children’s nursing in 1996.
His ongoing passion for emergency nursing and advanced practice encouraged him to complete an MSc in Advanced Nursing Practice while gaining experience as an advanced paediatric ENP before his current position of Nurse Consultant for Paediatric Emergency Care.
He has a particular interest in autonomous practice and nursing competencies and is pursuing this interest throughout his current doctoral studies.
Jason also has many teaching responsibilities including module leader for the children’s emergency care and physical assessment module at the University of Brighton. He travels nationally and internationally teaching advanced resuscitation, in addition to representing children’s emergency nursing at the RCPCH Intercollegiate Committee.
Currently, Jason is heavily involved in the redesign of a children’s emergency care service, with a particular interest for advancing nursing practice and improving the care for children and young people accessing emergency care in Brighton and Hove.
Katie Bagstaff
Katie is a passionate advocate for children’s nursing within the perioperative environment. After qualifying as a registered children’s nurse in 2000, she worked on a general surgical ward for 18 months before leaving the safety of children’s services to work in a new service, called paediatric recovery.
At this time it was quite a novel idea that children’s nurses would recover children and young people in a separate area to adults! This service has evolved dramatically in this time, and Katie is now the proud leader of a fantastic team and service.
Katie has remained committed to promoting the needs of children and young people within the perioperative setting, teaching, publishing and organising national conferences. She currently represents the RCN at the Royal College of Surgeons, on the Children’s Surgical Forum.
Katie is also a passionate team leader, who was shortlisted for ward sister of the year in the Nursing Standard’s Nurse of the Year awards in 2010.
Marian Campbell
Marian worked as a personal secretary in social services before undertaking nurse training. As a registered sick children’s nurse she staffed in The Royal Belfast Hospital for Sick Children in the surgical ward and intensive care unit.
On completion of the neonatal course she worked in the Regional Neonatal Unit and did bank work in the children’s hospital in medical, surgical and oncology wards until promotion to a sisters’ post. She currently works as the Neonatal Manager in the Ulster Hospital.
Marian also works with community organisations. She has worked as an accredited counsellor for many years before training through Barnardo’s as a parent facilitator. She is a founder member of a local organisation working with parents of children in ‘early years’ developing and facilitating parenting courses. She is qualified in early years education and development and has taught modules relating to this in educational establishments.
Sayma Mirza
Sayma gained vast experience as a children's nurse in both medical and surgical acute care since graduating from Liverpool John Moores University in 2000 in Yorkshire and Lancashire. Her drive and passion to make a difference encouraged her to successfully take on the role of ward manager/senior sister of the children's unit at Airedale NHS Foundation Trust in West Yorkshire in 2008.
Sayma was heavily involved with the refurbishment of the children's unit at Airedale in 2009. Sayma has been influential in the progression of many nursing practices on the unit since being in post, some of which include the introduction of a local early warning tool for children which incorporates the SBAR format. Other areas of progression include implementation of Lean - releasing time to care modules and reviewing the role of healthcare support workers.
Sayma is a member of the Yorkshire and Humber CYP Cancer Network Group as well as a member of Airedale's Paediatric Clinical Governance Group, Safeguarding Children's Group and the Trust's Children's Forum.