A nursing academic from Northumbria University
who is leading the way in reforming health equity and policy in the UK has
received recognition from the American Academy of Nursing.
Professor John Unsworth OBE, a
Professor of Nursing and Deputy Faculty Pro-Vice Chancellor for Education in
Northumbria University’s Faculty of Health and Life Sciences will become one of
only 30 nurses from the UK to have been honoured by the Academy for his
contribution to health equity and health policy.
The American Academy of Nursing works to
advance health policy and practice and promote healthcare through social
justice, address racism, tackle inequalities and promote innovation and access
to services.
Being awarded Fellowship of the Academy is a
significant acknowledgement of the substantial, sustained and outstanding
impact an individual has made on health and healthcare.
Professor Unsworth’s research focuses on the
healthcare workforce, shaping UK healthcare policy, increasing access to vital
healthcare services by reducing health inequalities and improving workforce
development, retention and wellbeing across nursing and social care. He also led
the expansion of UK advanced practitioners as chair of the standards groups
addressing concerns around universal health coverage for individuals who are
homeless, who are refugees or in custody.
He will be formally inducted as a Fellow at a
ceremony in Washington DC in November.
Speaking on his work and the recognition from
the American Academy of Nursing, Professor Unsworth, who is also Chair of the
Queen’s Nursing Institute, said: “Despite the United Kingdom having an
exceptionally well-developed system of primary health care some patient
populations continue to experience problems with accessing healthcare. Amongst
these groups are people who are unable to leave their homes because of age,
infirmity or illness, individuals with mental health problems or learning
disabilities and those people who are detained in prison or who find themselves
homeless. Problems with access to services widen health inequalities and reduce
opportunities to manage long-term conditions and extend life expectancy.
“Equally our workforce is at a critical point.
By 2030 it is expected that we will need 20% of the working age population in
the UK to hold a position within health and social care in order to meet the
care needs of our population.
“The scale of the challenge is significant,
and we need all need to be pulling in the same direction to address some of the
core issues within the sector including retaining those highly skilled
professionals we already have and improving universal health coverage.
“At Northumbria University we are already
taking steps to improve access to training to allow more people to undertake
courses in healthcare, we have an extensive suite of continued professional
development to give existing professionals progression routes and we continue
to work collaboratively with our partners to develop and implement solutions
that will secure the future of the NHS and social care.
“I am delighted to be recognised by the
American Academy of Nursing and look forward to being inducted as a Fellow. The
Academy is the leading health and nursing policy body influencing policy makers
in the United States and globally through its work on evidence synthesis and
dissemination. I look forward to contributing to this work alongside the
Academy’s existing Fellows.”
Fellows are proposed and supported by existing
Fellows within the American Academy of Nursing. Speaking on Professor
Unsworth’s upcoming induction, Professor Ann Keen,the UK’s former Under Secretary of State for Health, said: “John is
an exemplary nursing leader of significant standing as both nurses and his
peers across a range of UK professional bodies hugely admire him as an
inspirational leader. He has fought for the retention of primary care
specialists, not because of any misguided professional agenda, but because he
truly understands the complexity of care and the significant patient safety
risks associated with a sub-standard workforce.”
In 2022 Professor Unsworth was awarded an OBE for
services to community nursing and community nurse education. He has more than
36 years’ experience as a community practitioner, manager and leader, he has
worked extensively to develop international practice and higher education
teachers across Thailand, China, Hungary, Chana, Vietnam, Bahrain, Ukraine and
Granada in the West Indies and continues to carry out research relating to
patient safety and competence across the workforce.
Professor Dianne Ford, Pro Vice-Chancellor for
Health & Life Sciences at Northumbria University said: “John’s selection
and induction as a Fellow of the American Academy of Nursing is testament to
his workforce policy work both in the UK and internationally. His contribution
to our research activity around workforce and practice development enables
Northumbria to be at the forefront of tackling inequalities and promoting
health equity in Newcastle, the North East as well as nationally and internationally.”
Northumbria University is dedicated to reducing health and
social inequalities and improving social, economic and health outcomes for the
most marginalised in society. Through its new Centre for Health and Social Equity (CHASE),
researchers will be delivering world-leading health and social equity research
and creating innovative, evidence-based policies and data-driven solutions to
bring impactful change across the region, the UK and globally.
