Conference Keynote Speakers

Conference Keynote Speakers

This page will be updated as further speakers are announced.

Professor Michelle Bateman, Deputy Chief Nursing Officer for England – Quality

Professor Michelle Bateman is a Registered Nurse and the Deputy Chief Nursing Officer – Quality at NHS England.

In her role, Michelle provides national nursing leadership to the delivery of a range of nursing safety and improvement support programmes, quality and policy areas, and leads on work to building and maintaining a quality culture across the profession. Michelle is responsible for infection prevention and control (IPC), and provides nursing leadership for incidents, emergency preparedness, resilience and response (EPRR). She also leads the nursing and midwifery professions’ response to sustainability and climate change.

Michelle has 40 years’ experience working in the NHS. She is a proud Queens Nurse and became the recipient of the inaugural QNI William Rathbone Award for Executive Nurse Leadership in 2023.

In 2024, Michelle was honoured to be conferred the title of Visiting Professor of Healthcare Improvement, Leadership and Policy Development at University of Derby, in recognition for her work in healthcare, specifically in community services.

Carli Whittaker, Royal College of Nursing, Head of Nursing Practice, Children and Young People

Originally a Sydney-sider, after qualifying and practicing as a registered nurse in Australia, the plan was to come and travel the UK and Europe for 2 years, this was over 20 years ago. Carli is both adult and paediatric nurse by profession, however area of specialism is Paediatric Critical Care. Carli is the President of the Paediatric Critical Care Society (PCCS), the first nurse and female to hold the role within the Society, PCCS is a professional, multi-disciplinary, membership organisation representing the interests of those delivering paediatric critical care in the UK (United Kingdom) for the benefit of Children and Young People and their families. 

Carli’s interests predominantly focuses in Paediatric Critical Care with her PhD in the exploration of children’s nurses and the retention challenges faced. However,  Carli is also interested in the education, simulation, CYP leadership and CYP health inequalities. Carli is passionate about broadening the scope and profile of Children’s Nursing not only in the UK, but globally. She works in partnership with the NHS, private and independent sector, and professional, statutory and regulatory bodies.

Professor Bernie Carter PhD BSc RN, RN(Child), Professor of Children's Nursing, Edge Hill University 

Bernie's research focuses on children and young people whose lives are disrupted by pain, illness, disability, complex health care needs and disadvantage, and the ways in which this affects their parents, brothers and sisters and family life. She is particularly interested in the challenges of assessing the pain of children with profound cognitive impairment. Much of her research is creative, narrative, appreciative, participatory and arts/activities based. She works closely with children and families throughout her research to ensure her work is robust and grounded in the lives of the participants. On a good day, Bernie loves writing about research (although on bad day's it can make her cry).   

Professor Sarah Neill -Professor of Nursing, School of Nursing and Midwifery, Faculty of Health, University of Plymouth

Sarah is a children’s nursing academic with over 25 years’ experience in higher education, initially focussed on teaching and learning for the next generation of children’s nurses, then gradually more focussed on research. Sarah Co-leads the Fit for Children and Young People (Fit4CYP) project with her colleague Dr Matt Carey as she is passionate about ensuring children’s nursing education is fit for purpose.

Sarah’s research is mainly focussed on acute childhood illness in children under five years of age, predominantly in the home and in first contact health services, such as primary, urgent and emergency care. She works collaboratively with parents and health professionals to understand patient and professional experiences and decision making. This evidence she applies to the development of interventions to improve access to care for acutely ill children.

Sarah leads the Acutely Sick Kid Safety Netting Interventions for Families (ASK SNIFF) research programme and was the Chief Investigator on the Before Arrival at Hospital (BeArH) NIHR RfPB funded project. She is currently Co-leading another NIHR RfPB funded project: Acutely Sick Kid Digital Interventions for Parents from under-represented Communities (ASKDIPaC) project. Sarah is a qualitative researcher with a specific interest in Glaserian grounded theory. Internationally Sarah co-chairs the International Network for Child and Family Centred Care https://incfcc.weebly.com/ and the Conference Planning Committee of the International Family Nursing Association https://internationalfamilynursing.org/ .

Dr Matthew Carey – Associate Professor in Child Health Nursing, School of Nursing and Midwifery, Faculty of Health, University of Plymouth

Matt is a passionate children’s nurse with a background in critical care who joined the University of Plymouth in 2012 as a lecturer in child health nursing. For the past 12 years Matt has facilitated the training and education of future generations of children’s nurses and qualified professionals, leading to an Inspirational Teacher SSTAR Award in 2019, voted by students. After completing his PhD Matt gradually moved to focus more on research, leading to a promotion as an Associate Professor in Child Health Nursing.

Matt’s research interests are centred on children’s nursing education, children, young people (CYP) and their families as well as critical care. Matt is Chief Investigator on a number of research projects including the Fit for Children and Young People (Fit4CYP) project and the ASTOUND study. The Fit4CYP project, co-led with Professor Sarah Neill was established to ensure that children’s nursing education is fit for purpose. The ASTOUND Study, has been established with an expert panel representing 34 countries to explore the global provision of pre-registration education for the preparation of student nurses to care for neonates, infants, CYP and their families.

Matt is also the award holder for the NIHR Undergraduate Research Internship Programme, to develop pre-registration student nurses as research leaders of the future. In addition, Matt is the Postgraduate Research Coordinator and the Research Leader for Child and Family Health within the School of Nursing of Midwifery.

Rebecca (Becks) Daniels BEM, Community Children's Matron, East London NHS Foundation Trust

 Rebecca is a passionate children’s nurse with 25yrs clinical and educational experience, including 19yrs community based children’s nursing, where she currently works as community children’s matron in East London. She is an advocate for children and young people (CYP) with complex health needs, supporting their rights to be included in all aspects of community living, alongside their peers, to ensure they can reach their potential, however short their life might be.

In 2020 Rebecca was awarded the Queen’s Nurse title and during the COVID19 pandemic connected with other children’s nurses, to tackle an inequality for clinically vulnerable CYP with complex health needs, requiring aerosol generating procedures (AGPs), as they  were excluded from education. A national community children’s nursing (CCN) network was set up, and Rebecca continues to chair the network, as CCN project lead at The Queen’s Nursing Institute (QNI).  She is passionate about influencing policy, and promoting the voice of CYP with complex needs in policy decision making.

She aspires for community children’s nursing to be a larger core component of pre registration training and for all CCNs to have the specialist practioner qualification (SPQ), recognising and raising the profile of the advance clinical practice of CCNs across the UK.

Dr Kerry Gaskin, Professor of Congenital Cardiac Nursing, Birmingham City University

Prof Gaskin has 20 years of senior academic experience, leading departments (Midwifery, Paramedic, Advanced Practice/CPD) and managing academic teams, leading undergraduate, postgraduate and PhD courses, coordinating research and knowledge exchange within the school of nursing and midwifery and empowering academic, clinical staff and students to engage in academic and research professional development. She has supervised many masters’ students and is currently supervising 5 PhD students.

A Registered Children’s Nurse and Adult Nurse, Kerry worked in Children’s Cardiac Intensive Care, Paediatric Intensive Care and High Dependency Care at several specialist Children’s Cardiac Units and Children’s Hospitals in the UK before moving into academia in 2005. Her research focuses on parental experiences and home assessment using an early warning tool called the Congenital Heart Assessment Tool (CHAT), to enable parents to identify signs of deterioration in their infant and to make prompt contact with the appropriate health care professional.

Kerry is a mixed-methods researcher with a particular interest in congenital heart disease and congenital cardiac nursing, she has led numerous pedagogical and clinical research studies and received funding through SPARK The Midlands, NIHR Wessex ARC, NIHR i4iFAST, The Health Foundation and Heart Research UK. She is Chair of the Congenital Cardiac Nurses Association (CCNA) UK, Associate Editor for Evidence Based Nursing and on the Editorial Board of Journal of Paramedic Practice providing paediatric expertise.

Sarah Cartner, Specialist Health Visitor for 1001 Critical Days and Solihull Approach in Newcastle upon Tyne

My name is Sarah Cartner and I am the Specialist Health Visitor for 1001 Critical Days and Solihull Approach in Newcastle upon Tyne. My role is a strategic post, funded by the Start for Life initiative through Children and Families Newcastle. I work citywide with professionals from Health, statutory and voluntary sector services covering a range of projects linked to the 1001 Critical Days Period.

I have been a Midwife for 10 years and a Specialist Community Public Health Nurse (Health Visiting) for 4 years. Throughout my career I have always had a specialist interest in paternal mental health and improving father inclusive practice within healthcare and am a strong advocate for utilising a whole-family, relational approach to improve outcomes for babies, children and their families.

Alongside my substantive post I am also co-chair of the Institute of Health Visiting’s Health Visitor Advisory Forum and have taken part in expert panels for projects nationwide. I co-ordinated the collaborative development of Newcastle 5-year Infant Mental Health Strategy,  and continue to coordinate the 1001 Critical days Think Tank, Solihull Approach training for professionals and Baby week as well as consulting on a range of projects across the Children and Families Newcastle Network.

In Newcastle we are making waves throughout lots of areas of practice but particularly with our father inclusive offer in relation to systems and process changes particularly in the 0-19 service. I am also currently co-developing a collaboratively designed handheld resource for Dad’s covering a range of topics to support the transition to parenthood and prevent the recurring issue of mis-communication of important safety messages. 

Sarah Robson, Father and Male Carer Enhanced Service Coordinator

My name is Sarah Robson, and my role is Father and Male Carer Enhanced Service Coordinator. This role is funded by Children and Families Newcastle through Barnardo’s. The “Fathers and Male Carers Enhanced Service” offers a strategic focus on embedding Father and Male Carer inclusive practice citywide in Newcastle with a view to help and support partners to deliver and improve accessibility for Fathers and Male Carers.

Having worked in the youth and community sector for over 16 years I have a great deal of experience working with young people and families. Throughout this time, I have continued to have a professional curiosity around gender stereotyping relating to boys and men.

It is widely recognised that fathers and male carers are not generally acknowledged as ‘primary carers’ for the children they care for, with much of the responsibility in terms of care, information sharing and decision-making sitting with Mum. This is a norm that has been perpetuated through generations of stereotyping with regards to gendered roles in parenting. And whilst this is a complex picture, we are keen to explore how critically analysing the systems and processes we use can support a sustainable shift in this narrative. If we are ‘better’ at knowing who dad is, we have increased opportunities to share vital information with both parents, we can empower and upskill fathers in their parenting roles, and subsequently increase the protective factors surrounding babies, children and young people throughout their childhoods.

There are many perspectives we could approach and discuss in this topic area, but the systems change focus we have in Newcastle provides an opportunity for services to be curious about how a different approach to father and male carer inclusion could significantly improve the outcomes for men, fathers and male carers, and babies and children within the health, wellbeing and safeguarding arenas.

Laura Togher, Clinical Educator of the 0-19 service

Laura Togher Clinical Educator of the 0-19 service. My professional background is a registered nurse (Child) and SCPHN (health visitor). My specialist areas of interest is reducing health inequalities and promoting equity to improve health outcomes for babies, children young people and their families. As a clinical educator I am passionate about workforce development across a skill mixed team, developing competence, building confidence, growing skills and stimulating innovation to deliver public health early intervention to the population of Newcastle Upon Tyne. My specialist work projects include the SCPHN Apprenticeship programme, SCPHN preceptorship, workforce development, Safe Sleep, MECC, Record Keeping and SystmOne Development.

Debby Whalen, Head of Leadership (Talent) NHS Leadership Academic NE&Y

Deb Whalen is Head of Leadership in the North East & Yorkshire Leadership Academy. This role encompasses support for staff at all levels across the NHS to see and reach their potential through leadership development, talent management support and access to coaching and mentoring. Throughout her career the key driver has always been to help people be their best selves.

Deb has worked as a coach & mentor in the NHS for 17 years, but has worked in the NHS for 37 years starting her career in nursing. Her career path has evolved into the current role through work in primary care, public health, service improvement and organisational development. Throughout this skills have been gathered through training in the use of varying psychometric and 360 assessment tools, plus coaching, mentoring and supervision development.

Greg Johnston, Founder, Team Evie

Greg Johnston is the founder of Team Evie, a charity established in memory of his daughter, Evie Johnston. Following Evie's journey through serious illness, Greg and his family created Team Evie to support sick children and their families across the North East and Cumbria. Through fundraising and community initiatives, the charity provides vital equipment, support services, and resources to healthcare teams and families, helping to improve the quality of care and life for critically ill children. Greg's work is driven by compassion, resilience, and a commitment to making a lasting difference. From the early prenatal diagnosis of heart abnormalities through numerous major surgeries, setbacks, and critical moments, Evie's journey was one of resilience, love, and hope. Greg's talk will explore the intense experiences of life within paediatric intensive care, the emotional and practical realities of long hospital stays, and the deep connections formed between families and the healthcare teams. Ultimately, Evie's story highlights the importance of compassionate care, family involvement, and respecting a child's own journey. It is a celebration of Evie's life, her courage, and the love she brought to everyone around her, as well as a reflection on grief, resilience, and gratitude. Greg Johnston will share the remarkable and moving story of his daughter Evie, a joyful, determined, and brave baby who spent much of her short life in hospital. Despite facing overwhelming medical challenges-including congenital heart disease, a tracheoesophageal fistula, serious respiratory issues, and pulmonary vein stenosis. Evie’s vibrant personality and fighting spirit left a profound impact on all who cared for her.