Nichola Sanderson

Role: Director of Nursing and Professions

What I do:

I lead on the professional development and standards of staff within the Trust which covers Nursing, Allied Health Professionals (AHPs), Social Workers, and Psychology.  My particular focus is to ensure that quality of care is of a high standard across the organisation, and I work closely with Dr Chris Hosker, our Medical Director, to oversee the current quality and delivery of our services and shape these to best meet future needs. In addition, I am the Trust’s Director of Infection, Prevention and Control and play a key role in keeping our service users and staff safe and free from the spread of infection. I also have responsibility for patient safety and safeguarding.

How I contribute to improving the experience of service users and carers

I contribute to improving the experience of service users and carers in many ways but in particular by leading a team which works directly with service users to gather and share their insight and feedback about their experience whilst in our care. This feedback is a vital tool for us as it shows us where we’re getting things right and where there is still work to be done to improve our services.

My Experience:

I graduated from the University of Manchester with an Higher National Diploma in Mental Health Nursing in 2002 and started my career as mental health acute ward staff nurse at Greater Manchester West NHS Foundation Trust. In 2009, I took up a post of Modern Matron at Pennine Care NHS Foundation Trust, before moving on to be a Nurse Consultant at Cumbria Partnership NHS Foundation Trust in 2011. There I helped set national benchmarks and clinical standards for good practise in unscheduled mental health care and led on suicide prevention. In 2014, I was appointed Associate Director of Nursing at Cumbria Partnership NHS Foundation Trust, taking responsibility for the provision of clinical leadership and management across inpatient and community services, as well as quality standards in safety, effectiveness and patient experience. I joined Leeds and York Partnership NHS Foundation Trust as Deputy Director of Nursing in April 2017 and was appointed as Director of Nursing, Quality and Professions on 1 June 2023.

During my time as Director of Nursing and Professions, I have overseen the implementation of the Patient Safety Incident Review Framework (PSIRF), which has changed how serious patient safety incidents are reviewed and how learning is shared across the organisation. In addition, I have led on the Trust’s sexual safety policy, culture of care program and led the role out of a new integrated risk assessment tool to ensure our patients and staff are cared for in the safest possible environments.

My team continues to support nursing and AHP recruitment and retention, supporting our newly qualified staff to have the best experience possible at LYPFT, making us the employer of choice for those completing their university degree and throughout their career in the NHS.  I am passionate about quality of care and patient safety, always striving to ensure that the nursing and AHP workforce are supported to have the right skills for their roles, enabling our staff to provide the highest quality of care to our patients, carers and families. I am privileged to work with such committed staff who work continuously to improve the lives of our patients.

Get in touch

You can contact Nichola by emailing nichola.sanderson@nhs.net