QICN announces new director to lead community nursing data analysis

The director of the Queen’s Institute of Community Nursing’s (QICN) international community nursing observatory (ICNO) has stepped down after six years.

Professor Alison Leary is set to leave her QICN role at the end of this month and will be replaced by nurse, researcher and academic, Dr Barbara Stilwell.

Professor Leary was the first to hold the position which was created in 2019 to help analyse data and trends in the community nursing workforce in greater depth.

‘Over the last six years it has been my privilege to work with the QICN helping to tell the important but often unseen stories of community nursing,’ she said.

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‘I really feel our efforts have helped provide a bedrock of data from which can now grow deeper understanding and policy influence on these vital services.’

During her time in the role, Professor Leary had led several research projects, including on the introduction of the Additional Roles Reimbursement Scheme (ARRS) and how general practice nurses (GPNs) were not consulted on the move, in 2023.

The following year, another survey led by Professor Leary uncovered that GP practices were at risk of losing ‘many’ experienced nurses because of a controversial NHS accreditation scheme.

Work by Professor Leary also revealed last year that many experienced nurses were being forced to accept lower paid roles in favour of flexible working opportunities and to escape toxic workplace environments.

As well as her QICN role, Professor Leary is also the current deputy president of the Royal College of Nursing (RCN). She was elected in 2024 and took on the position in January 2025.

Professor Leary will be succeeded by Dr Stilwell, who will take on the ICNO role from 1 April.

Dr Stilwell has held previous high-level roles including at the World Health Organization and as director of the Nursing Now Global campaign. She is also a fellow of the QICN.

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‘It is an enormous honour to be picking up the baton from Professor Leary, for whom I have always had the greatest admiration,’ she said.

‘My goal is to work with others at QICN, and in the broader community nursing community, to lead critical conversations about making community nursing more resilient.

‘Community nurses are everywhere – from homes to clinics to shops to schools to prisons. We need to be able to document which nurse is where and doing what job – and the ICNO is essential to gathering and using this information.

‘This is the evidence that underpins funding requirements for community nurses, and it must be heard at the highest levels.

‘I am thrilled to have this opportunity to influence national nursing policy – and to work with colleagues globally so that the ICNO contributes to what we know about the state of the world’s community nursing.’

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QICN’s chief executive Steph Lawrence added: ‘We are indebted to the support and dedication Alison has given to the QICN over the last six years and wish her all the best for the future.

‘She will be greatly missed by the team and our Queen’s Nurses. We are delighted that Barbara has agreed to come and work with the QICN and are excited to start this new phase for the ICNO.’