Helen Allan is a Professor of Nursing at Middlesex University, London, UK. She registered as a nurse in 1979, working for 13 years in acute care. After a BSc Sociology at the London School of Economics, London University, Helen trained as a nurse teacher and taught social sciences and nursing at Bloomsbury College of Nursing & Midwifery and then at the Royal College of Nursing Institute. Helen completed her PhD in Nursing part time at Manchester University in 2000. She worked with Professor Pam Smith at the University of Surrey in the Centre for Research in Nursing and Midwifery Education. Helen has held Chairs at the Universities of Surrey, York and since 2014 at Middlesex University.

Theresa Wiseman is a clinical nurse academic with a joint appointment between The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust and the University of Southampton. She holds a chair in Applied Health Research in Cancer Care, is passionate about research but more so that it makes a difference to patients and families. She began nursing at UCH in January 1977 and joined Set 222, qualifying in January 1980. She had various staff nurse posts including working in Germany, completed her ITU training at The London Hospital and returned to UCH as a Sister in 5:1 from 1983-1985 when she became a clinical teacher. After completing a BSc and Post Grad Dip in Education she worked at Bloomsbury College of Nursing and Midwifery from 1992-1997 when it closed. Following this, Theresa worked as a Lecturer/Senior Lecturer at The Florence Nightingale School of Nursing and Midwifery, King’s College London (KCL). Here she completed her PhD and obtained her first joint appointment with Guy’s and St Thomas’ Trust and KCL, before taking up her post as Strategic Lead of Applied Health Research at The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust (RMNHSFT). In 2015 she was awarded a chair in Applied Health Research in Cancer Care (joint appointment) by the University of Southampton and RMNHSFT. She has always maintained a clinical component of her role and has had joint clinical academic posts since 2008.  Her research focusses on patient and carer experience of cancer and treatment and developing services and interventions to ameliorate that experience.

Alison Finch is currently assistant chief nurse at University College Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (UCLH) and in parallel holds a National Institute for Health Research clinical doctoral fellowship. She is undertaking her PhD research within the Department of Applied Health Research at University College London. Alison registered as a nurse in 1993 and has worked predominantly with young people within the specialities of haematology and cancer care. She has worked with the Middlesex Hospital and UCLH for twenty years as a staff nurse, sister, matron and lead nurse. A former recipient of the UCH London Nurses’ Charity Janet Hull travel Scholarship, Alison has been a committee member and then trustee since 2013. Alison was awarded a MBE for services to nursing in 2009.

I trained at UCH from 1975-77 and feel indebted for opportunities provided me. I was a Sister on ward 5:1 before becoming a Tutor in Minerva House from 1983-91. Last year I retired as Dean of Health and Education at Middlesex University. This role is a chance for me to give something back to UCLH nurses.

Andrew Baudains is the Managing Director of Baudains Executive Services which is a bespoke recruitment, coaching and consultancy business.

Andrew started his nursing career in 1984 (set 271) and was a Staff Nurse and Senior Staff Nurse at UCH on 5:1 before moving to the Middlesex Hospital, working in Cardiology and Coronary Care. He then completed the ITU course at the Middlesex Hospital before moving to ITU at the Westminster Hospital. Andrew then moved to Queen Square as a Charge Nurse, assisting with setting up their new SITU. He then moved to the Midlands as a District Resuscitation Training Officer before becoming the Medical Services Manager at Kings Mill Hospital which included several in-patient, out-patient, community and day case services.

Having moved into management, for many years Andrew continued to practice as a Bank Nurse in the acute sector within ITU and also working as an inflight nurse, accompanying critically ill patients to various specialist centres. Most recently he has worked for the Government of Jersey as part of the Covid-19 response team.

Andrew has a Post Graduate Certificate in Health Services Management; a Post Graduate Diploma in Healthcare Organisation and Policy; and an MSc in Healthcare Management.

Previous voluntary positions have included: Chairman, British Red Cross – Jersey; Chairman, Jersey Independent Prison Monitoring Board; and Trustee of the Antoine Trust (a charity helping Jersey children and their families through cancer).

I trained at UCH, in Set 154, from 1962-66 winning The Merrifield Palmer Memorial Prize and staffing on 4/3 under wonderful Sister Sare. I left UCH in 1966 to get married, joining my husband in Germany serving with the Royal Air Force. (1966-68 and 1977-80), giving voluntary welfare support to overseas young RAF families (at that time, Officers’ wives were not permitted to work, only in a voluntary capacity).

Bringing up six children, born between 1967-1979, I completed a Back to Nursing Course in Watford in 1980, working on the Regional Burns Unit at Mount Vernon Hospital Northwood and on ICU there. Later, I worked in Orthopaedics and then moved to Care of the Elderly at Home, which actually prepared me for providing full-time care for my widowed father 1997-2002 wheelchair- bound after several strokes. By 2008, my husband became very ill and I have been his full-time carer ever since, as well as childminder to our many lovely Grandchildren. Teaching during ‘Lockdown’ remotely has proved challenging and fun!

Finally, I have been involved with the League since 1967, often serving on the Executive Committee, helping with both the 95th Anniversary as well as the Centenary Celebrations. More recently, I have become a Trustee with UCH London Nurses’ Charity continuing to arrange our Social Events in London.

My father was a UCH trained doctor and two of our daughters trained as UCH nurses, so it’s very much been part of our lives

Janet Doyle Blunden – RN, RM, BSc. Hons (Nursing Studies), BFRP – trained at UCH from 1972 to 1975, and was (and according to her contemporaries still is) Set 195 Rep’. Janet staffed on Ward 2/1, returning as Night Sister then Ward Sister of 3/2 (gastroenterology) after midwifery training at Southmead, Bristol and Staffing on a radiotherapy Ward at the Royal Free Hospital.

From 1983 she devoted her time to developing nursing and multidisciplinary working, setting up nutrition and pain relief teams, innovative staff support services and one of the early hospital-based palliative care teams, for the Borough of Barnet. She co-founded Cherry Lodge Cancer Care using a patient/professional collaborative model, a service of which she is now Patron. Her clinical, service development, research and organisational skills were further developed as Regional Nurse, Palliative Care for East Anglia Regional Health Authority and then as an independent consultant. During this time, she was involved in many Europewide, national and Department of Health working parties and research projects and established the Education Centre for East Anglia Children’s Hospices. She continued to undertake clinical practice assignments alongside leadership roles and was Vice-Chair of the National Bereavement Association and National Association of Staff Support.

Janet was Chief Executive of the Norfolk Hospice from 2006 to 10 during which time she led a major capital project to create a bedded hospice in one of the last areas of the UK to have such a facility. Returning to the London area, she worked at Guys & St Thomas NHS Foundation Trust as Programme Manager developing groundbreaking new services: GSTT@home delivering acute care at home and Pal@home providing out-of-hours palliative care. Prior to retirement in 2019 Janet was Commissioning Manager for Mental Health, and Learning Disability for East Surrey CCG (Clinical Commissioning Group). She now provides patient advocacy support and combines her commitment to holistic care, nursing skills and love of gardening, having qualified as a Bach Foundation Registered Practitioner. She has been a long-standing member of the UCH League, the forerunner of UCHL NC, and is pleased to join the Trustee Board.