• Staff Nurse A&E, University College Hospital, London, 1980 – 81
• Staff Nurse Emergency & Drug Clinic, Maudsley Hospital, London, 1984 - 86
• Research Interviewer, Addiction Research Unit, Institute of Psychiatry, London, 1988 - 89
• Research Nurse /Research Sister /Research Nurse Manager
  Clinical Age Research Unit, King’s College School of Medicine and Dentistry, London, 1989 – 96
• Research Nurse  Section of Old Age Psychiatry, Institute of Psychiatry, London,1997 – 98
• Staff Nurse, Norfolk Mental Health Care NHS Trust, Hellesdon Hospital, Norwich, 1999 - 2002
• Census Enumerator, Office for National Statistics, Fareham, Hampshire Norwich 2001
• Research Associate/Project Co-ordinator School of Medicine, Health Policy and Practice, UEA Norwich 2002 to date

• State Registered Nurse University College Hospital, London 1980
• Registered Mental Nurse Maudsley Hospital, London 1984
• BA (Hons) Social Science and Administration (London) 1989
• Dip in Management Studies (North London) 1994
• MSc Health Science (East Anglia) 2005
  

Substance dependency

Interests include study of problem drug use, alcohol dependency and smoking, using both quantitative and qualitative methodologies.

• Currently co-ordinator of SHARPISH trial- A randomised controlled trial of self-help materials for the prevention of smoking relapse http://www.hta.ac.uk/project/2389.asp

• Currently co-ordinating an evaluation of the Southern Region Innovation Fund project – An Alcohol Care Team at the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital.

• Previously co-ordinator of Super C trial - A randomised controlled trial, economic evaluation and qualitative study of supervised consumption in patients managed with opiate maintenance treatment (RfPB) and the SUMMIT Trial – Non-interventional trial of Subutex versus Methadone Maintenance Treatment in the management of opiate dependant patients

• Interest in the epidemiology of problem drug use and the health needs of problem drug users. Work has focused particularly on the health and treatment needs of crack cocaine and opiate users, drug users outside structured treatment, and prisoners with drug or alcohol dependence. Reports have been produced for specific local Drug and Alcohol Action Group districts (DAAGs) in Norfolk.

• Involvement in qualitative studies exploring needs and experiences of patients who are in receipt of long term opiate maintenance treatment, of drug using couples outside treatment and patients preparing for alcohol detox in CBT based groups.
Medicines management

• Currently co-ordinating the Norfolk sites in a collaborative study with the University of Aberdeen’s Centre of Academic Primary Care PPRT funded MINA Study - Community Pharmacy Management Of Minor Illness
Medicines and the Elderly

• Clinical pharmacology – the influence of age on drug handling. Management of a research unit dedicated to research in the elderly. Organisation and running of drug trials to GCP standards. Recruitment and maintenance of a large panel of elderly volunteers (including healthy volunteers and those with particular conditions) willing to participate in clinical research.

• Investigations of interventions with older people to improve medicines adherence and the quality of prescribing. This has included work on the national sentinel clinical audit of evidence-based prescribing for older people, the HOMER trial and the Heartmed trial. 

Background

My clinical background is in general and psychiatric nursing with experience gained in an accident and emergency department, a psychiatric emergency clinic, outpatient drug treatment services and ward based acute psychiatric services.

Population Health

• Teaching and supervision of student nurses gaining practical research experience during their mental healthcare specialist placement in drug and alcohol treatment services.
• Contributing to CSED course Recruiting Patients as Research Participants Course