Nick Castle
‘We must challenge “performance-based” targets that affect the quality of clinical care, especially where they impact on safe placement for cardiac patients.’
MSc (Dist) DipIMC RCS (Ed) RGN SRParamedic
RCN Cardiovascular Network Steering Committee Member
Nick Castle is Nurse Consultant at Frimley Park Hospital in Camberley, Surrey, working in acute cardiac care, resuscitation and emergency care training.
Nick was introduced to cardiovascular nursing in 1983 during his last year of training and he’s had a keen interest in resuscitation and emergency cardiac care ever since, working first on a CCU, then moving into ICU and over the years on to resuscitation training.
At Frimley he has been instrumental in developing a Medical Emergency Team based around a patient scoring system that enables staff to identify deteriorating ward-based patients. This has seen a significant reduction in in-hospital cardiac arrests over the past five years, all the more remarkable given the growing numbers of hospital beds and admissions.
Nick won the 2004 Robert Tiffany International Award for his programme of shared learning and research with paramedics, emergency service practitioners and educators in Durban, South Africa. He has continued his academic relationship with South Africa, currently leading a BSc module and supervising MSc students there. From June 2007 he will be leading a clinical module for the MSc in resuscitation practice at the University of Brighton.