Southend University Hospital expert to help shape East region’s healthcare
06 January 2014
Health Care
Noreen Buckley is record third appointment to Clinical Senate
Southend University Hospital's Noreen Buckley has been offered a
prestigious new role on the East of England Clinical
Senate.
Mrs Buckley, who works at the hospital as the Essex Chronic
Fatigue service manager and head of rehabilitation, has become the
third Southend-based clinician to be appointed to the organisation
responsible for shaping the future provision of health care to 5.8
million people across Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire, Essex,
Hertfordshire, Norfolk and Suffolk. No other hospital has two, let
alone three, representatives on the board.
56-year old Noreen from Southend has worked in the NHS for 35
years and joined the Southend University Hospital team in 2006. The
mother of two adult sons leads a county-wide service providing
diagnosis and therapy to people with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome.
Noreen said:"I am chuffed to bits I have been picked. There are
not many allied health professionals left from my era, as so many
people could not keep up with the pace of change and the high level
of academic achievement required to continue practising.
"But I am still here and loving my job, so I am really pleased
to get this opportunity to share all my years of skills and
knowledge, putting them to good use in helping others."
There are twelve Clinical Senates across the UK. They were
created to give a professional overview of healthcare for a
particular geographical area, as well as providing independent
advice and leadership on how health services can best be tailored
to meet the specific needs of local patients. Members are chosen
for their wealth of experience, proven track record in designing
health policy and the high regard in which they are held by their
peers.
Senate members advise clinical commissioning groups (CCGs),
health and wellbeing boards (HWBs) and NHS England, helping them to
reach the best decisions for their local people.
Noreen clearly aims to bring a pragmatic approach to her new
role: "I think the most important thing is going to be knowing when
to evolve and change, but also knowing when to leave well alone and
not change things for change's sake. And absolutely everything must
be based on evidence from the grassroots."
The two other Southend University Hospital representatives
already on the Senate are leading stroke specialist Dr Tony O'Brien
and chief nurse Sue Hardy.
Southend Hospital's chief executive Jacqueline Totterdell
commented: "Congratulations to Noreen, who I am sure will do a
fantastic job in her new role. Her appointment - joining Tony and
Sue on the Senate - really puts Southend University Hospital at the
heart of decision-making for the region.
"In addition, being in the unique position of having three
representatives on this panel also goes to prove how widely
Southend Hospital is recognised as a centre of healthcare
excellence."