Dr Hannah Cooke

Hannah Cooke

I would like the SHA to prioritise defending the NHS against privatisation as well as promoting a more patient centred democratic service.

I am a senior lecturer in nursing at the University of Manchester and have worked in nurse education and/or practice development for over 20 years. My key areas of teaching include health policy, patient safety, nursing standards and social determinants of health. I am a general nurse and qualified in the 1980s. During my clinical nursing career I worked in general medicine, palliative care, intensive care and as a district nurse.

Prior to my nursing career I graduated in sociology from the London School of Economics in 1977 going on to study a masters in the sociology of medicine at Royal Holloway and Bedford College, University of London. Then I trained as a nurse in Whitechapel. I finally undertook PhD studies in 2002 looking at disciplinary cases and the management of poor performance in nursing. My interest in the topic resulted from my own experience of being disciplined for alleged whistleblowing. Since then I have carried out research on patient safety and a historical study of nurse regulation. I have published papers on patient safety, nursing discipline and nursing standards. I have written a clinical handbook on care of the dying and a sociology of health textbook for health professionals. I am currently working on a paper examining compassion (and its absence) in nursing.

In my youth I was a founding member of the Radical Nurses Group (sadly now defunct). I first joined the East London Branch of the SHA as a student nurse in the 1980s. I would like to see the SHA explore new ways of engaging with frontline health professionals.  I was also involved with Community Health Councils for many years and formerly chair of Tameside and Glossop Community Health Council.

I have been a member of the Central Council for two years and joined because I was concerned about the lack of nursing input on the council (especially general nursing). I was also deeply concerned about the implications of the Mid Staffs inquiry and given my research background I  felt I had something to contribute to debates about care standards in the post Francis era.

I suffered a serious illness during 2012-13 which limited my attendance at meetings but did give me intensive first hand experience of NHS acute and emergency care services. I am now recovering and hope to be able to commit more time to the SHA in the future.

Declaration of Interests: I hold joint membership of the University and College Union and Royal College of Nursing.

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