Public health expert joins University of Cumbria as Visiting Professor

With its expertise in educating nurses, midwives and allied health professionals, the University of Cumbria is delighted to welcome Jane Scattergood as a Visiting Professor.

Jane (pictured) is the chief nursing officer for NHS Lancashire & South Cumbria Integrated Care Board (ICB). 

Awarded the title of Queen’s Nurse in 2019, Jane is also an honorary member of the Faculty of Public Health, a global organisation of more than 6,000 public health professionals which works towards improving health and wellbeing of local communities and national populations.

As a Visiting Professor, Jane will help to support the strategic aims of the university and its Towards 2030 vision as well as assist the teaching and research of Institute of Health staff and students.

Jane said: “I am thrilled to join the University of Cumbria as Visiting Professor. I look forward to contributing to the education and development of our health care professionals, and in particular to enhancing our understanding of health equity, inequalities, and health creation. I am eager to join the Institute of Health, to collaborate with educators and with students; particularly at this exciting time for the university as we progress health programmes in Barrow.” 

Dean of the Institute of Health at the university, Professor Karen Stansfield said: “We are delighted to welcome Jane to Cumbria’s university. As a Visiting Professor, Jane’s distinguished career, achievements, and influence make her an ideal candidate to contribute to our university’s research and teaching goals.

“At this exciting time for our university, as we grow our health programmes in the Barrow area, Jane’s expertise and roles within the healthcare sector regionally and nationally will directly benefit our student body and our Institute of Health team.”

Jane’s career stretches 35 years. She qualified as a registered nurse in 1990, a midwife in 1992, and a specialist community public health nurse (health visitor) in 2002. Jane is a community practice teacher for post-registration students and an independent non-medical prescriber.

Having served two terms as registrant panel member with the Nursing and Midwifery Council for fitness to practise hearings, Jane has a special interest in maximising the contribution of nursing, nurses as leaders, public health nursing and professional regulation and discipline.

Jane is an Associate of the Centre for Population Health and brings expertise in public health interventions for the population, particularly in the fields of maternity, early years and population screening programmes and has a special interest in quality assurance, quality improvement and demonstrating the impact of strategies and interventions. She has served two terms as a standing member of the NICE Quality Standards Advisory Committee, reviewing new standards statements with a public health lens.

Jane led the pandemic response Covid-19 Vaccination Programme in Lancashire and South Cumbria, and leads the ICB in vaccine preventable disease. She has a keen and proactive focus on equity and minimising health inequalities.

Clinically Jane is particularly interested in safeguarding, families affected by drug and alcohol use, families affected by offending behaviour, families affected by parental mental health, infant mental health, families affected by poverty, breastfeeding, public health midwifery, improving outcomes by influencing the health of the pregnant population, and health of pre-school looked after children.

Jane is founding chair of ICON, a national charity – a programme to drive down the incidence of abusive head trauma in infancy.

Jane lives in South Cumbria and worked clinically for many years in Barrow-in-Furness, in the community, in out-of-hours primary care and in acute care.

Jane has also served as a volunteer custody visitor at Barrow police station on behalf of the Police and Crime Commissioner for Cumbria and now chairs Cumbria Constabulary’s and Cumbria Fire and Rescue Service’s Community Scrutiny (Ethics and Integrity) Committees. 

ENDS