Please tell us about yourself
Hello, my name is Ellen Nicholson and I’m a registered nurse.
My interest in NHS Resolution was triggered by a conversation at the organisations stand at a trade fair a year or so before my role was advertised. This led to me starting with NHS Resolution at the start of the first lockdown in 2020.
I am based close to London and enjoy the commute into the office; seeing such a large diverse city as London change with the seasons never fails to enthral me. I love walking and travel, though I’ve done a lot of the first and hardly any of the second in the past two years.
Please tell us about your role at NHS Resolution
My role at NHS Resolution is the Safety and Learning Lead for General Practice. This is a national role covering England and I work collaboratively with colleagues and clinicians across general practice settings, arm’s length bodies, clinical commissioning groups and Integrated Care Systems, to maximize learning from claims, reduce any future harm and support early and effective engagement within primary care.
As the role is relatively new, much of the initial work has been around engaging with primary care, raising the profile of NHS Resolution and the general practice indemnity schemes amongst these groups and explaining the processes should they need to contact us. I also authored the CNSGP first year report.
Please describe your nursing background
My nursing background is that of a registered nurse, advanced nurse practitioner and non-medical prescriber, with diplomas, bachelors and a Master’s in long term condition management and advanced practice.
I have had a varied career working in areas of safety, education and workforce in primary, secondary and community care as well as in higher education. Much of my career been spent in primary care and I am a Queen’s Nurse, which demonstrates a high level of commitment to patient care in out of hospital nursing.
What inspired you to become a nurse?
As a young person, I experienced first-hand the humanitarian work undertaken with refugees. Seeing how people’s needs were met and any issues were recognised and managed appropriately, combined with a college placement in paediatric ward sparked an interest in a career in healthcare.
Why is it so important to have colleagues working with a clinical background at NHS Resolution?
Having a clinical background provides an understanding of the clinical context of clinical negligence cases and it provides a different perspective to what could otherwise be a series of facts.
We are able to offer a different way of examining situations and add an understanding of the issues that may be encountered within a given clinical scenario. Often we are aware of corresponding reports or evidence that can be considered in a given situation.
Why do you think your nursing experience brings value to your role at NHS Resolution?
My knowledge and expertise of nursing and specifically the functions and operation of general practice, have added breadth, depth and credibility to the general practice indemnity discussion.
Having a clinician who understands the scenarios, pressures and context that the scheme operates in and who is able to relay this information to commissioners, providers and medical, nursing and allied health professionals working in general practice is invaluable.
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