Sarah Hall, QN

Forum Chair

Clinical Standards Manager (Primary & Community Nursing) Devon ICB

Sarah Hall is a registered nurse with over 40 years of experience, including 23 years in primary care as a General Practice Nurse. She currently serves as the Clinical Standards Manager (Primary & Community Nursing) for Devon ICB, where she leads the delivery of the Devon General Practice Nurse Strategy. Her work centres on raising standards of quality and safety, strengthening recruitment and retention, and ensuring visible nursing leadership and senior support for the Practice Nursing workforce across the ICB.

Before specialising in primary care, Sarah gained extensive experience across a broad range of specialties—including Care of the Elderly, Haematology, Neonatal Intensive Care, and Adult Intensive Care—working in hospitals in London, Kent, Australia, and Devon.

Sarah works closely with partner organisations at local, regional, and national levels to advance workforce planning, develop new models of care, and expand leadership and academic opportunities for nurses working in general practice.

A strong advocate for professional legacy and the future of the General Practice Nursing workforce, Sarah is passionate about developing sustainable career pathways for nurses at all stages. She plays an active role in supporting GPN legacy mentor programmes, championing opportunities for experienced nurses to pass on knowledge, skill, and leadership to the next generation. She is also committed to strengthening nurse networks across Devon and beyond, recognising their vital role in peer support, professional development, and collective leadership.

Sarah’s career includes significant contributions to national initiatives, she is a Queen’s Nurse and has been a member of the RCN General Practice Nurse Forum Steering Committee for seven years. In this national role, she contributes to professional leadership, advocacy, and the ongoing development of the General Practice Nursing profession.

Penny Sibthorp

Vice Chair

Clinical Services Manager

Penny qualified as a nurse in 2001 and began her career in Medical Assessment, later moving into Accident & Emergency at a busy district hospital. She gained international experience working at a teaching hospital in Sydney, Australia, before returning to the UK to take on a role as a District Nurse.

Following a PCT restructuring, Penny completed a six-month Practice Nurse Apprenticeship and transitioned into general practice. Over 18 years, she led and managed the nursing team across two sites in a large town centre practice in Suffolk. She also contributed to the wider profession as a committee member of the local Primary Care Nurse Forum and as nurse representative for her local Primary Care Network, advocating for her team and highlighting issues impacting future service delivery.

More recently, Penny has held senior leadership roles, including Clinical Effectiveness Lead and Lead for Advanced Practice. She is currently Clinical Services Manager for a not-for-profit community interest organisation, where she oversees high-quality patient care, implements change and quality improvement initiatives, and monitors performance against key clinical targets. Penny continues to maintain her clinical practice, working within general practice when time allows.

Frances Baverstock

Frances qualified as a nurse in London in 2001 and took up her first position within a surgical ward. On moving to Milton Keynes in 2003 she started her career in General Practice Nursing. She now has 23 years of experience of nursing within primary care, specialising within respiratory care. 

Frances has led on placing student nurses into general practice and her team won the Student Nursing Times Community placement of the year in 2018. Frances was the Lead Nurse for the local Federation and worked collaboratively with practices to support all nurses within general practice. Frances was honoured to receive the “Chief Nursing Officer Silver Award” in 2019 for her dedication to Primary care and General Practice Nursing.

Frances holds a postgraduate certificate in Advanced Practice in Health and Social Care and is working towards her MSC in Professional practices in Health.

Frances moved to North Wales in 2020 and is now working as Primary Care Lead Nurse. She continues to advocate for General practice nurses and strives for equity and parity for nurses and for the patient population. Frances is a Florence Nightingale Scholar, and was the first General Practice Nurse to be awarded the leadership scholarship. The scholarship ignited her passion for leadership and being brave. 

La Toya De Freita

General Practice Nurse

La Toya qualified as a nurse in 2000 in Guyana, South America. She then migrated to the UK in 2003 and worked in Neuroscience and Critical Care. La Toya undertook a 1 year transition to general practice in 2017 via LSBU by completing a Specialist Practitioner GPN degree. As a Practice Nurse she was able to fulfil her passion for health promotion and health inequity. 

La Toya works as a GPN 3 days week. She is currently working a part time role with the severe asthma team tackling health inequality of asthma with primary care. La Toya is very passionate about health promotion, providing best care for the population, reaching those that do not engage and raising the profile of primary care as GPNs are the gate keepers and collaborate between secondary and primary care. 

Venetta Norgrove

Venetta is a Nurse Practitioner with over 20 years’ experience in primary care, with a strong track record in clinical practice, leadership, and workforce development. Throughout her career, she has been committed to supporting and advocating for general practice nurses, contributing to education, professional development, and system leadership across North West London.

Venetta has held senior roles including Lead Nurse for Ealing, Chair of the Ealing Practice Nurse Forum, and CEPN Lead Nurse for Hounslow, working closely with practice nurses, PCNs, and system partners to strengthen the primary care nursing workforce. She is currently Clinical Lead Education Nurse for Ealing and continue to lead the Ealing Practice Nurse Forum, supporting nurses through education, mentorship, and collaborative professional networks.

Her experience includes chairing complex multidisciplinary meetings, influencing strategic decision-making, and addressing health inequalities, safeguarding, and quality improvement within primary care. She is passionate about promoting professional recognition, equity, and development for general practice nurses and ensuring their voice is represented at local and national level.

Carole Phillips

With over 30 years of experience in healthcare across NHS, private, and military settings, Carole is a seasoned Senior Nurse dedicated to quality care, patient safety, and continuous improvement.

Carole has held leadership roles in General Practice and Primary Care Networks, driving initiatives to enhance clinical governance and prioritise patient safety. As a National Professional Advisor for the CQC, she has shaped policies and standards, providing expert guidance on governance and service delivery. Additionally, she has led successful vaccination clinics and actively promote staff development. Carole also work as Nurse Manager in a GP surgery and clinically as an ANP.

Carole is known for her adaptability, resilience, and a passion for mentorship. She is committed to fostering the growth of healthcare professionals both clinically and academically.

Hannah Pollock

Hannah's nursing career began in 2015 where she qualified as an adult nurse in Newcastle-upon-Tyne. She spent some years working there as a ward nurse intensive care nurse, community nurse before moving to Northern Ireland where she has pursued a career in General Practice. In the past six years she has completed specialist practice in respiratory condition management and diagnosis, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, heart failure, and cervical cytology. In 2024 she completed her V300 non-medical prescribing qualification which has broadened her scope of practice.

Her substantive post sees her manage a team of treatment room nurses and nursing assistants alongside undertaking her own clinics with particular passion for quality improvement projects and policy development within the practice, particularly around wound care. She had developed a protocol for managing anti-coagulation within primary care, which she would teach on behalf of the RCN locally.  

Hannah is a regular attendee of RCN Congress as a voting member and non-voting member and is always keen to be the voice of General Practice. She is a published author in a number of nursing and medical journals and 'Northern Ireland's Primary Care Nurse of the year' award winner 2025.

She plays an active role in promoting General Practice Nursing as a career pathway within the profession as well as working to engage pre reg and school leavers into the profession and speciality. She is keen to bring her passion for change management and evidence-based practice into her new role in the RCN GPN Forum over the coming years.