HEE chief nurse Lisa Bayliss-Pratt will step down to take on a permanent role at Coventry University.
Professor Bayliss-Pratt has been appointed as pro-vice chancellor of health and life sciences after taking on the job in an acting capacity for the past six months.
She has been chief nurse at HEE since 2012. During that time, she introduced the controversial nursing associate role – intended to bridge the gap between healthcare assistants and registered nurses – and helped develop ‘Shape of caring’, a review of nurse education and training.
Mark Radford has acted as chief nurse at HEE for the past six months alongside his role as deputy chief nursing officer for NHS England and NHS Improvement.
HEE has begun the recruitment process to replace Ms Bayliss-Pratt, who will officially start her new role on 1 April.
Professor Bayliss-Pratt, who studied her first nursing degree at Coventry University, said the role presents a ‘great opportunity’ to widen access to the health and life sciences professions.
She continued: ‘Coventry University’s innovative approach to teaching and learning has a key role to play in creating new education routes into a range of professions, such as apprenticeships and filling gaps in the workforce with highly qualified graduates.’
Vice-chancellor at Coventry University Professor John Latham said Professor Bayliss-Pratt ‘brings a wealth of experience in leadership and innovation’ to the university.
‘As a champion of nursing and midwifery professions she will continue her work to drive workforce development and create the next generation of nurses,’ he added.
Chief executive at HEE Ian Cumming said: ‘Lisa was our first chief nurse and was a brilliant and enthusiastic colleague from the earliest days of HEE. She leaves a legacy of achievement behind her and can be justifiably proud of her role in creating nursing associates as a regulated profession. We wish her well in her new role and thank her for her contribution.’
Ms Bayliss-Pratt will continue as programme lead for the Nightingale Challenge for the Nursing Now campaign from the World Health Organisation and International Council of Nurses.
The campaign asks every health employer around the world to provide leadership and development training for young nurses and midwives in 2020, the Year of the Nurse and Midwife.
