Ann Jackson MSc, BSc (Hons), RMN

Ann Jackson is a registered nurse (RMN) with a nursing career spanning over four decades. Her interests and roles have primarily been focused on practice development in mental health, women’s mental health, violence against women and girls and suicide prevention.

As a leader, Ann led a national programme of practice development in mental health, working with NHS and private provider teams as an external facilitator to integrate best contemporary mental health nursing evidence and policy. She established the Royal College of Nursing’s Women’s Mental Health Group and worked at the Department of Health supporting the development of policy for women in the criminal justice system. She was Director of Nursing at St. Andrew’s Healthcare, the largest UK charitable provider of specialist mental health services and in 2015, she accepted a year’s interim post of Deputy Director of Nursing for NHS England (Central Midlands).

From 2016, as an Independent and Associate Consultant, Ann has designed and delivered bespoke workshops, learning sets and leadership programmes to develop political awareness, wholehearted and compassionate leadership. Her leadership facilitation approach supports senior nurses and clinical health care professionals explore and develop their skills to create a culture of psychological safety where compassionate and collective leadership can be bravely curated. As lead for suicide prevention within an NHS Trust, Ann became more committed to guided support and self-compassion to genuinely protect the well-being of staff working in challenging and emotionally demanding contexts.

Over the years, she has worked with ward leaders, clinical team leaders, matrons and band 8 clinical or system leaders. Over the last 8 years, Ann has also worked effectively co-facilitating for the Foundation of Nursing Studies: (FoNS) Creating Caring Cultures Across Mental Health and Learning Disability Services in Northern Ireland; Hilary McCallion Consultancy Ltd: Leadership in Care Programmes and NICHE at the University of East Anglia: ‘Leading & Facilitating the Development of Person-Centred Care & Cultures’. All programmes are provided in partnership with NHS providers of mental health. This last programme involved a five-day residential programme, supported for a following year with group and 1:1 education, support and coaching with Ann.

Finally, as a facilitator and coach, Ann draws on her breadth of leadership experiences and wisdom to develop trusting relationships, strengthening lines of awareness and understanding, providing contemporary knowledge to actively support leaders fully embody their role as leaders with optimum influence and impact. She offers team and 1:1 coaching for compassionate and impactful leadership.