Lynne Patterson, Neonatal Nurse Consultant

My name is Lynne and I am a neonatal nurse at James Cook University Hospital in Middlesbrough.

The first thing you will notice when talking to me is that I am from Scotland, so proudly patriotic.  However, don’t hold that against me.  I have been working outside of my native land since 1988 and so I am well versed in the ways of the English NHS.

I have been a neonatal nurse on and off for almost 30 years, having trained originally in 1983.  I did initially work with adults in intensive care and I am also a qualified midwife, so can see care of babies and their families from several different perspectives.

I currently work as a Neonatal Nurse Consultant, which is a fancy title for saying that I am a senior nurse and get involved in many decision making activities about the care and service delivery of all things neonatal.  I also work part time as the Lead Nurse for the Northern Neonatal Network, which means that I also get involved in overseeing how care is delivered across our region which includes 11 neonatal intensive and special care units.  I am also a qualified nurse teacher and get involved in many aspects of education for neonatal staff.

I am therefore in a good position to ‘advise’ where possible and in particular in relation to helping make positive changes to neonatal care across the region.

I am passionate about the care of babies and their families and I am delighted to be part of an organisation where this is the sole focus of their being.

I am not however all work and no play, I also enjoy spinning classes (if ‘enjoy’ is the correct word here), I love catching up with friends and a latte and I love to travel.