I am a nurse by profession with a long and varied career across community mental health, dementia care, education and sector development. My early practice as a Community Psychiatric Nurse grounded me in person‑centred, relationship‑based approaches and gave me deep insight into the lived experience of people accessing support. This foundation shaped my commitment to dignity, rights and authentic partnership working.
I have extensive experience delivering education and workforce development to care homes and care at home services, supporting teams to build confidence, competence and reflective practice. As part of the Edinburgh Dementia Training Partnership, I deliver dementia‑specific training to staff across the city, helping services embed evidence‑informed, rights‑based and compassionate approaches to care. My educational work also extends to families of care home residents, offering supportive, accessible sessions that help relatives understand dementia, navigate change and feel more confident in their role as partners in care.
I hold a Diploma in Teaching Palliative Care and am a qualified SVQ Assessor, enabling me to support staff at all stages of their learning journey. As a Registered Dementia Mapper, I bring specialist insight into environmental design, meaningful engagement and the lived experience of people with dementia, helping services create supportive, enabling spaces.
My career spans the care home, care at home and supported housing sectors, where I have developed a strong reputation as a committed, reliable and enthusiastic professional. I have a positive track record of innovation, collaboration and co‑production with people who use services, carers, providers, commissioners and regulators. Across every role, I remain driven by the belief that high‑quality care is built on partnership, respect and continuous learning.
As Independent Sector Lead (ISL) for Edinburgh, I provide a critical link between the NHS Operational and Strategic Oversight Group, the Health and Social Care Partnership (HSCP), independent care providers and the third sector. The role enables regular, focused engagement at both strategic and operational levels, ensuring national and local priorities are clearly communicated and implemented across care homes and care at home services.
A core function of the ISL role is influencing and informing strategic developments. This includes working with developers and providers on new care models, service redesign and service closures, advising on opening timelines and admissions planning, and liaising with HSCP Strategy Leads and the Care at Home Contracts Framework Group. Quality improvement is central, with Edinburgh recording no LSI’s in 2025.
Data collection and intelligence sharing underpin strategic planning. Real‑time information on vacancies, management changes and Care Inspectorate grades supports HSCP decision‑making, improves transitions of care, informs policy development and enables outcome tracking. For providers, this data improves occupancy, stabilises revenue and strengthens leadership insight.
As a long‑standing member of the Lothian Vaccination Group, I have contributed to standard and easy‑read consent forms and continue to work with providers to improve vaccination uptake. Workforce development is a major priority, including partnerships with schools, colleges, universities and the Prince’s Trust, and membership of the Lothian Care Academy Programme Board. I also support dementia training delivery, the Herbert Protocol and post‑diagnostic dementia pathways.
Service quality initiatives include improving diabetes care in care homes, reducing medicine waste through the Care Home Waste Project, and contributing to delirium improvement and future care planning work. I also lead innovation projects such as AI‑supported pain assessment, remote monitoring tools and sensory‑focused improvements, including the development of a Sensory Hearing Passport. Which will be in all Edinburgh care homes early 2026
A significant achievement has been securing full funding for Fringe Cares Fest 2025, bringing 30 Fringe performers to 15 care homes and reaching over 1,000 residents and families. Currently planning for 2026
Looking ahead, my work will continue to focus on strengthening integration, improving quality and expanding innovative, person‑centred approaches across Edinburgh’s independent sector. Key priorities include deepening collaboration between the HSCP, NHS oversight structures, independent providers and third‑sector partners, ensuring the sector remains informed, supported and aligned with national and local strategic priorities.
A major upcoming milestone is the delivery of my accepted workshop at the 26th International Conference on Integrated Care (ICIC26), taking place from 13–15 April 2026 in Birmingham. The workshop, “Fringe Care Fest: Embedding Joy, Dignity, and Cultural Access in Integrated Care for Older Adults,” will showcase Edinburgh’s pioneering work in bringing arts, culture and community connection directly into care homes.
The impact of Fringe Cares Fest continues to grow. Care home staff and residents who participated in the programme will walk the red carpet at the world premiere of Life Goes On at the Scotsman Hotel Cinema on 10 February 2026. They have also been invited to a reception at the Scottish Parliament at Holyrood in March, recognising their contribution to cultural inclusion and celebrating the value of creativity within integrated care.
Locally, I will continue to expand the Fringe Cares Fest programme, progress the development of the Sensory Hearing Passport, support wider adoption of digital innovation tools, and strengthen dementia training, workforce development and quality improvement initiatives across the sector.
Across all future work, the focus remains on sustainability, innovation and ensuring that Edinburgh’s independent sector continues to deliver compassionate, high‑quality, rights‑based care in an increasingly challenging landscape.
