Alexandra Eden - Forum Chair

Rheumatology Clinical Nurse Specialist

Alex’s rheumatology journey started in 2009 at the East & North Hertfordshire NHS Trust, where she is now the lead nurse. She completed the rheumatology course at Keele University in 2010, and recently achieved a Contemporary Nursing degree (BSc) and non-medical prescribing qualification in 2020.

Alex has a specialist interest in biologic and targeted synthetic therapies, having managed this service over the past 8 years. Prior to being appointed to the rheumatology forum committee she was co-opted to assist in updating the RCN biologics guidance. Alex has an interest in the education of the current & upcoming rheumatology workforce and is co-opted on the BSR education committee. She has provided education and updates locally and nationally.

Alex hopes to use her experience and knowledge to help with the growth and transformation of rheumatology services to ensure they support our nursing staff and are suitable to the needs of our patient cohort.

In the past she has received the NRAS Healthcare Champion Award (2016) & NRAS Rheumatology Team Champion Award (2023).

In her spare time away from rheumatology, Alex is kept busy by her two young children, enjoys playing competitive netball and running.

Lucy Craig

Professional Nurse Advocate

Lucy qualified as a children’s nurse in 1994 and worked across various acute medical wards at the Great North Children’s Hospital (GNCH) in Newcastle upon Tyne before moving into Children’s Rheumatology as a Nurse Specialist in 2012, she enjoyed the work so much she ended up staying there. Alongside the ‘normal’ role as a children’s Rheumatology nurse specialist, she is the transition co-ordinator within her team and works across the region with Adult Rheumatology colleagues to smooth the transfer process of patients when moving from children’s to adult services.

Lucy has initiated many different quality improvement projects both within Children’s Rheumatology but also for the GNCH. She champions transitional care for teenagers and enjoys teaching and is always looking at service improvement ideas. She also won a Practice Improvement award for pioneering the GNCH Learning Disability Passport for the Hospital to support CYP and families.

She is passionate about supporting her nursing colleagues and recently qualified as a Professional Nurse Advocate, she also works alongside the Speak up Guardian as a champion at Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals.

Alison Kent

Rheumatology Nurse Manager at Salisbury Foundation Trust Hospital

Alison has been working in Rheumatology for over 25 years and has been living with RA herself for over 30 years. With both a personal and professional interest she feels motivated to educate and raise awareness of Rheumatological conditions and the impact of living with a long-term disease.

Alison is a current member of the RCN Rheumatology Forum Committee, which she joined in 2019.

Alison has been involved with several task forces in EULAR including those focused on the monitoring of co-morbidities, information dissemination, the safe use of gluco-steroids, difficult to treat RA and patients as research partners.

Alison holds an EMCC accredited certificate in coaching and is passionate about using coaching skills in a healthcare setting to improve patient focused goal setting and supporting patient empowerment.

Alison has participated in government lobbying and the setting of European standards for people with musculoskeletal diseases. She is also a volunteer for NRAS and is a MSK Champion for Versus Arthritis.

Alison has a real interest in supporting the learning needs of other Rheumatology Healthcare Professionals and has experience of facilitating workshops on topics such as coaching in healthcare, shared-decision making, motivational interviewing, consultation and communication skills and the use of PROM’s and PREM’s. She has also lectured on the EULAR HCP postgraduate course.

Alison feels it has been extremely exciting and a privilege to have been part of the RCN Rheumatology Forum for the past 6 years and is looking forward to continuing the important work of the forum and ensure that it is meeting the needs of its members as we take Rheumatology Nursing into the future.

Helen Lee

Helen qualified as a children’s nurse in Sheffield in 1999 and started work as a Staff Nurse on the Neonatal Surgical Unit at Sheffield Children’s Hospital. She moved onto the daycare unit in 2005 and particularly enjoyed looking after the handful of rheumatology patients who attended each week for treatment. She was fortunate to be one of two nurses who were asked to set up rheumatology nursing service and became a full time rheumatology nurse in 2010 just prior to Sheffield launching its paediatric rheumatology service. Helen is now the lead nurse for this service, runs her own review clinics each week and manages the nursing team comprising of 5 nurses, a support worker and an administrator.

Helen is passionate about helping children and young people with procedural anxiety and does a joint monthly clinic with the team psychologist as well as helping run procedural anxiety workshops for parents with young children who are under the rheumatology team.  

Helen enjoys raising awareness of JIA and other rheumatological conditions and provides ward updates as well as student teaching on rheumatology. She has also run the London Marathon twice in 2014 for Arthritis Research and then in 2019 for Versus Arthritis.