Meet the team

The new steering committee for the Rheumatology Nursing Forum was formed in October 2010.

Vicky Chamberlain - Chair

Vicky Chamberlain Vicky qualified as a registered nurse in 1977 and after 14 months as a staff nurse in her training hospital in London, went on to undertake the Orthopaedic Nursing Certificate at the Nuffield Orthopaedic Hospital in Oxford. Following this she worked in New Zealand before coming back to the UK to take up a sister's post on a trauma orthopaedic ward in London. Following marriage and children her career has taken a number of turns including obtaining a first degree and working as a health promotion officer in South Manchester. Whilst undertaking a Masters level postgraduate diploma in health studies, she moved into the field of rheumatology.

Vicky has worked as a rheumatology nurse specialist since 1997, and currently works at Trafford Healthcare Trust in Greater Manchester. Her prime area of interest is supporting people with inflammatory arthropathies in order that they might better manage their disease, particularly focusing on helping them stay in work and supporting family life. She has been an active member of the Rheumatology Open Forum Northwest serving on their committee for 10 years. Whilst working at Wrightington Hospital she became involved in the ARMA Local Networks project.

As a life long member of the RCN, Vicky joined the forum's steering committee in 2009, taking over as chair in October 2010. She looks forward to supporting nurses working in this challenging field in order that they can provide the best care possible for their patients, as well continuing to raise the profile of rheumatological conditions both locally and nationally. She also hopes that the forum can highlight the complexity and importance of the role of nurses in this specialty, working together to ensure ongoing professional development and a strong evidence base for our members.

Colin Beevor

Colin Beevor Colin is Senior Clinical Nurse Specialist for Rheumatology Services and Matron/ Service Manager for Musculoskeletal Services (Rheumatology, Spinal Services and Chronic Pain Clinic) at Portsmouth Hospitals NHS Trust.

Colin has 16 years experience in rheumatology nursing and a wide range of nursing management at ward, outpatient, and clinical nurse specialist levels. A big part of Colin’s role includes management of a 4 million pound Biologic Budget.

Colin is currently contributing to the development of a rheumatology service that will meet the changing needs of patients within the Portsmouth / Hampshire area. This work involves working with patients and members of the public for preparations of patient pathways for a number rheumatological and connective tissue diseases.

In 2009- Colin joined the RCN Rheumatology Forum as committee member and also sits on the medical and health care professional advisory boards for Arthritis Care and Fibromyalgia UK.

Ongoing specialist interests include projects around reduction in biologics wastage, patient and public conferences and disease awareness and the Rheumatology Education and Children’s Hospitality (REACH) project supporting partnership working with Arthritis Care Youth.

More recently Colin has been working with primary and social care on a number of community based education programmes related to self management and exercise, these have be recognised at a local and national levels as innovative pieces of work

Colin is a local conveyor for Portsmouth ARMA Network

Lynda Gettings

Lynda Gettings Lynda trained in the North East and qualified as a state registered nurse (SRN) in 1982 gaining experience in many specialities within the hospital setting. By the mid 1980s her aim was to work as a district nurse and gain community experience dealing with both the patient and their families, so initially worked as a practice nurse for two years going on to become a district nursing sister in 1987.

During her time in the community and following personal experience, Lynda developed an interest in palliative care and became a Marie Curie nurse additionally. This interest in palliative care continued and developed further whilst undertaking a degree, graduating in 1996. In 2000 Lynda moved to rheumatology, taking a position as a nurse specialist at the University Hospital of North Durham where she is currently based. She views rheumatology as palliative care which requires life-long management. As a holistic practitioner she further developed her skills to manage psychological distress in patients with inflammatory arthropathies, completing the foundation course in cognitive behavioural therapy in 2006. Since then she has developed this service locally gaining regional and national recognition for her work and won Nursing Standard Rheumatology Nurse of the Year 2009-2010. She is also published in this field.

Lisa Howie

Lisa Howie Lisa qualified as a RGN in 1984, in Swansea, Wales and has worked in the area of musculoskeletal care for most of her nursing career, starting in 1986, after successfully completing her orthopaedic nursing certificate in Cardiff.

After this, she worked on the trauma and orthopaedic (T&O) Unit at Morriston Hospital in Swansea for 6 years. Since 1992, she has been a rheumatology clinical nurse specialist, which she still feels very passionate about, as she feels the role is uniquely and importantly placed to make a significant difference to the standard and quality of care given to the patients and families/carers and to patient outcomes and satisfaction. Her interests include:

osteoarthritis, rheumatoid and psoriatic arthritis
rheumatology drug treatments
advanced practice per se including prescribing etc
nurse-led clinics
holistic, MDT based-patient care
patient education
self-management
clinical governance
telephone advice line
clinical informatics per se, but in particular in relation to finding ways in which the CNS's role, responsibilities, activities and their worth can be captured in a meaningful, qualitative, quantifiable yet user friendly way
teaching, especially clinical skills such as history taking, consultation, assessment, examination and diagnosis, and patient management and treatment.
standard setting

Her personal professional drive/aim is always to:

continually strive to develop and deliver best practice that is evidenced based and standards driven
provide high quality patient care that is clinically effective, efficient and safe.

She hopes that with her level of knowledge, skills, experience and expertise in rheumatology, personal attributes and willingness to listen to and learn from others, that she will be able to make a valid and meaningful contribution to the forum and its development. But most importantly, to the development of its members, standards of practice and the care and service provided to patients.

Jo White

Jo qualified as an RGN in 1991 after completing her nurse training at York School of Nursing. She then went on to work as a staff nurse in the orthopaedic department. She left there in October 1991 to work in Oxford at the Nuffield Orthopaedic Centre, before undertaking the Orthopaedic Nursing Certificate (ENB 219). Following completion she moved to Leeds to work in orthopaedics.

Jo has been working in the field of rheumatology since 1995, as a sister on an in-patient ward, then as a clinical nurse specialist since 2000. She is currently working at Chapel Allerton Hospital in Leeds. She has undertaken a Masters degree in Independent Practice (Health) at the University of Leeds.

Her main interests are rheumatoid arthritis focussing on patient education and empowering patients to live with their disease. She also has a special interest in the management of younger patients who are trying to conceive.

She is an active member of the Yorkshire Rheumatology Nurse Specialist Group, setting up educational meetings for the regional nurses.

She has been a life-long member of the RCN and joined the Rheumatology Forum Committee in October 2010. She is looking forward to being an involved member of the committee, supporting nurses nationally in this very interesting and demanding field.

Rachel Brett

I trained in Jersey and first became involved in Rheumatology whilst running RA monitoring clinics.
After completing the ENB 983 course in Harrogate I was appointed to the (then) new post of Clinical Nurse Specialist Rheumatology. In 1995 I moved back to the UK and worked in general practice for seven years before securing my present post in 2002. Subsequently I have studied successfully for a BSc (Hons) in Health and Social Care (1st class) and MA in Clinical Practice.

I currently work holding routine, emergency and telephone review clinics. As a Nurse Independent Prescriber, I practice with considerable autonomy; also undertaking intra-articular joint injections and contributing to pre- and post-registration nurse education programmes.

I am currently involved in setting up a new RA patient education group. I have attended many Rheumatology Forum meetings and was joint winner of the poster prize in 2006. I have also presented a poster at the BSR/BHPR conference.

Over the next four years I would like see the Forum provide a more varied programme of events to meet the needs of nurses practising at all levels within the speciality and I would also like more accessible online information.

Ruth Slack

I have worked in Rheumatology nursing for 20 years and have acquired a solid knowledge of the speciality. I believe I am acknowledged as an expert in rheumatology nursing. I have given lectures on Rheumatology nursing, nationally & internationally, including this year's Royal College of Nursing ( RCN) Rheumatology forum conference & a Satellite Symposium at the British Society of Rheumatology annual meeting.

I have been involved in several pharmaceutical advisory boards & have been invited by the National Rheumatoid Arthritis Society to be a member of a sub group of the East of England Strategic Health Authority, on commissioning of rheumatology services.

I believe, that my expertise & enthusiasm for rheumatology nursing will allow me to contribute to the forum committee, in particular shaping future policy & practice. I have experience of collaborative working & a good grasp of the current & future political issues in nursing.

In the next four years, I would like the forum to publish additional advisory/guidance documents, possibly assessing & monitoring Methotrexate for Rheumatoid Arthritis.