Meet the Team

Dr Sonya Clarke - Forum Chair

Senior Lecturer (Education), School of Nursing & Midwifery, Queen’s University Belfast (QUB), EdD, MSc, PGCE (Higher Education), PG Cert (Pain Management), BSc (Hons) Specialist Practitioner in Orthopedic Nursing, RN child & RGN

Sonya, a nurse for over 30 years, has experience in children’s and adult nursing – her nursing career commenced in 1988.

She qualified as an RGN in 1991, followed by a diploma in Children’s Nursing in 1996. Clinical practice was primarily within Northern Ireland’s regional elective orthopedic unit for the adult and child until 2001, with additional nursing experience (bank position) gained as a Marie Currie nurse until 2009.

Prior to her teaching position in 2003, she was employed as a Lecturer Practitioner at QUB and Musgrave Park Hospital, Belfast. Current positions within higher education include Professional Lead for MSc pre-registration CYP Nursing and established pathway leader within continuing professional development for a short programme in Orthopedic and Fracture Trauma Nursing across the Lifespan.

Sonya’s teaching, research and scholarly activity reflects both children’s nursing and orthopedics. Sonya was presented with the Royal College of Nursing Award of Merit in 2020 and she was a former SOTN committee member and chair. She also has an extensive publication history and continues to actively lead, inspire and deliver evidenced-based education that motivates and advances nursing.

Kirsteen Kelly

Clinical Nurse Specialist, Developmental Dysplasia of the Hip Service – Orthopaedics, Musgrave Park Hospital, Belfast, Northern Ireland

Kirsteen currently works as a Clinical Nurse Specialist in the Developmental Dysplasia of the Hip, Regional Service in the Belfast Health and Social Care Trust.

Kirsteen qualified as a Registered Nurse – Adult Branch in 2007 through Queens University, Belfast gaining her BSC Hons. Following qualification she worked in a District General Emergency Department, for 8 years. During this time, she obtained her post graduate Diploma in Advanced Standing, Children’s Nursing qualifying in 2013, at QUB. It was working within the ED environment that Kirsteen’s love and enthusiasm for Trauma and Orthopaedics was nurtured, specifically the most vulnerable children in society.

Between 2016 - 2017, Kirsteen continued to enhance her knowledge and skills by successfully obtaining her Non-Medical prescribing (V300) and Health Assessment at UUJ, while working in the Hospital at Night as a Senior Clinical Practitioner. Kirsteen commenced in her current post in the DDH service in 2021. Kirsteen has worked tirelessly during this current tenure successfully completing the GRAF Ultrasound course and undertaking the Short Programme in Orthopaedic and Trauma Nursing across the Lifespan. She has an active role facilitating teaching and an OCSE examiner for Midwives, Health Visitors, GP’s, Physicians Associates and Nurses in her Orthopaedic role developing their skills and knowledge of DDH and the appropriate treatment plans, within the main Universities of Belfast, Queens University of Belfast and University of Ulster.

As a newly appointed member of the SOTN committee, Kirsteen strives to have an instrumental impact in developing Paediatric Orthopaedic and Trauma especially in introducing Universal Hip Screening for all infants for DDH in Northern Ireland.

Rebecca Clark

Rebecca qualified as a Registered Nurse in 2013 from Glasgow Caledonian University and took her first post as a Staff Nurse at Sunderland Royal Hospital in the Trauma and Orthopaedic department.

She currently works in Forth Valley Royal Hospital as a Trauma and Orthopaedic Staff Nurse. In this role Rebecca has assisted in the development of the ERAS pathway, Neck of Femur nursing pathway checklist and a frailty centred patient admission profile.

Rebecca is currently studying at Stirling University for her masters in Advancing Practice. She is due to complete this course in 2022 and her current dissertation is focused on the use of negative pressure wound dressings on post surgical hip wounds. During this course Rebecca has focused on such topics as reducing the risk of delirium in frail orthopaedic patients, using a biopyschosocial approach for osteoarthritic management, promoting leadership to advance practice on the orthopaedic ward and the correlation between Covid-19 and self harm related orthopaedic injuries. She has also certificated in ERAS pathway training and Trauma Care after Resuscitation. 

Donna Little

Committee member
Advanced Clinical Practitioner, Great Western Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust

Donna currently works as an Advanced Clinical Practitioner within the Trauma and Orthopaedic department of Great Western Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust..

Initially starting in the NHS as a cleaner Donna became a nursing auxiliary in mental heath and then undertook Dip He-Adult Nursing at Glasgow Caledonian University.

She came to North Bristol NHS trust in 1999 where she worked in various specialties becoming a grade E in post op recovery and elective orthopaedics. Following this she moved to RUH Bath in 2009 as junior sister in trauma orthopaedics. During this time she completing her BSc with the support of RCN Foundation Bursaries and presented posters at several SOTN conferences. She then went on become a ward manager and completed an MSc.

Since then she joined Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS as Advanced Nurse Practitioner specialising in hip fracture care and ortho-geriatrics and progressed to Advance Clinical Practitioner at Great Western Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust specialising in Silver Trauma after a spell looking after front door frailty.

She is a NHS FAB Academy ambassador advocating the #PinchWithPride methodology of Quality Improvement and joined the SOTN Committee in January 2019.

Jessica Otu

Trauma coordinator

Jessica is a trauma coordinator currently working at the Royal Free Hospital. She is involved in the care from the initial trauma phase through to the after trauma therapeutic care.

She has worked across two Major Trauma Centres (MTC) prior to the post she is currently in. Jessica's nursing career has predominantly been within emergency care. She has recently completed her Masters in Trauma Science, which has elevated her knowledge into understanding the epidemiology of trauma which she feels will support her post in the Trauma and Orthopaedic Nursing Forum. 

Jessica is enthusiastic, driven and loves being a part of a community willing to make a difference!

David Raynsford-Dyer

David qualified in 1999 from Kingston University London and spent 4 years working in the Emergency Department of St George's Hospital London then moved to Sussex and continued working in the Emergency Department at Chichester Hospital for another 4 years. 

David then left and worked for NHS Blood and Transplant for 12 years. He currently works in the trauma and orthopaedic ward at University Hospitals Sussex NHS Foundation Trust (Worthing Hospital).

David is currently a committee member of the Royal College of Nursing’s Trauma and Orthopaedic Nursing Forum.

Claire Symonds

Surgical Care Practitioner / Trauma Coordinator Torbay and South Devon NHS Foundation Trust

Claire trained at the Bristol Royal Infirmary and qualified as a Registered Nurse in 1995. She returned home to South Devon and has worked at Torbay Hospital in Torquay ever since. 

After working in various specialities including general surgery, care of the elderly and community nursing she was seconded into a Junior Sister role in Trauma & Orthopaedics in 2006 and never left! 
After several years of experience in both trauma and elective orthopaedic ward nursing and being part of the trauma co-ordinator team, in 2014 she trained at Plymouth University, gaining a post-graduate diploma as a Surgical Care Practitioner (T&O). 

As a Surgical Care Practitioner her work now spans the T&O department from assisting in trauma and elective surgery, pre and post-operative care and working with the trauma on-call team. She is a Non-Medical Prescriber.

Her main interest is in hip fracture care and she is involved with the surgical and orthogeriatric teams in developing and improving our services for these patients.