Learning Disability Nursing Forum - link nurses

Saff Davies

Saff is a Registered Learning Disability Nurse of 14 years, and currently practising as a Community Learning Disability Nurse for Herefordshire and Worcestershire Health and Care NHS Trust with a special interest in Dementia.

In December 2021 Saff was successful in applying for and being appointed to the National Learning Disability Nursing Shared Decision-Making Council and plays a crucial role, along with colleagues on the council, in not only articulating the challenges faced by the Learning Disability profession but in supporting and being a part of the solution.

Saff is the first student at the Association of Dementia Studies at University of Worcester to undertake the Post Graduate Certificate in Person Centred Dementia Studies with a Learning Disability focus and plays an integral role in local policy and clinical pathway development for the Dementia population, ensuring the needs of people with a Learning Disability and their carers are fairly represented.
She is also an Associate Lecturer at the University of Worcester’s Three Counties School of Nursing for Adult, Children and Mental Health branches, and Associate Lecturer at Birmingham City University on the Learning Disability Nursing pre-registration and Nursing Associate programmes and is passionate about developing all branches of student nursing in clinical practice as a way of increasing awareness of the health inequalities of people with a Learning Disability.

Her other interests include promoting research in the Learning Disability field, particularly patient inclusion, quality improvement for better patient outcomes, and raising awareness of the importance of the Learning Disability specialist healthcare services and the role of Nursing.

Saff is a highly commended Scholar of the Florence Nightingale Leadership Programme for Learning Disability Nursing.

Twitter @DaviesSaff

Daniel Marsden

Senior Lecturer & Professional Lead, Learning Disabilities, SNMSW

Daniel Marsden qualified as a Registered Nurse Learning Disabilities (RNLD) in 1998 and has practiced in various positions and roles in children’s, community, acute hospitals and as a Consultant Practitioner both in NHS and independent services and commenced on an academic pathway in 2018.

Passionate about person centred, participatory and practice development research, Daniel has several funding awards and publications utilising qualitative and action research designs Daniel has been involved in founding several organisations to facilitate community inclusion with people with learning disabilities, including WeLDNurses, Kent Surrey Sussex Learning Disability Community of Practice, and the.

A former member of the RCN Learning Disability Nursing Forum, Daniel remains committed to the field representing the field on the Global Intellectual Disability Nursing Research Collaboratory, researching the unique value that the specialism both in this country and abroad and providing coaching and mentorship to individuals.