Royal Surrey appoints new Nurse Consultant in Palliative Care | News

Congratulations to Jo Thompson, who has been appointed as Royal Surrey’s second Nurse Consultant.

Jo will support the palliative care team, which looks after people at the end of their lives, and have an impact on the care we offer to hundreds of patients and their families.

Working alongside consultants and nursing staff to provide exceptional end-of-life care, this dynamic and unique new post represents a huge achievement for Jo, for the nursing division, and for the Trust.

To become a Nurse Consultant, applicants have to fulfil criteria across research, clinical practice, education, and leadership. It was felt that Jo displayed outstanding levels of competence across all of these areas with extensive experience, knowledge, and skills in supportive and palliative care across community, hospice, and hospital settings.

Joining Royal Surrey in 2009 as a Clinical Nurse Specialist, before becoming a Lead Nurse, Jo has always been visible in the Trust and has had a significant impact on the quality of care for end-of-life patients.

Over the years she has also become an inspirational role model for other nursing staff looking to progress their careers towards senior management.

Receiving an MSc in Palliative Care with distinction in 2015, Jo has written for publications including a Cochrane Systematic Review and lectured nationally and internationally at conferences on symptom management and supportive care in cancer. She has also been involved in departmental research at Royal Surrey, recruiting patients into clinical studies around end-of-life care.

Jo will be leading ward rounds twice a week and supporting medical consultants with expert advice and guidance in palliative care across the Trust, from the nursing perspective.

Charlotte Leach, Consultant in Palliative Medicine and Deputy Chief of Service for Oncology, who has supported Jo in her career development said:

“I am so proud of Jo, she has worked so hard towards this role, it has been a pleasure to see her career flourish and it is very rewarding to see her achieve this goal.

“Palliative care is a relatively small specialty and it can be hard to progress to a senior level, but in creating this new and unique post, Royal Surrey has shown that it can be done and is laying an important foundation for the nursing profession going forwards.”

Jo Mountjoy, Chief Nurse said:

“I am very proud of Jo becoming our second Nurse Consultant. This is well deserved and an impressive achievement for Jo, who is an exceptional role model for all nurses across the Trust.”

Discussing her new role, Jo Thompson said:

“I am delighted to be taking the important role of Nurse Consultant for palliative care at Royal Surrey.

 “Not only is this an opportunity to progress my career and make the most of my extensive experience, but it also allows me to do so whilst remaining clinically focused, which is important to me personally.”