Sarah Kiernan
Committee Member
Sarah’s interest in caring for patients with and preventing chronic wounds began early during her general training at Whipps Cross Hospital during the 1980’s and continued post registration when she worked in London, New York City and later in Dublin City. Different places, countries, cultures and healthcare sectors but each had patients with a variety of acute and chronic wounds and all displayed a wide range in wound care practice and service delivery.
On returning to the UK Sarah worked through the nursing ranks to become a Surgical Ward Sister and subsequently a Consultant Nurse in Tissue Viability. Over time she has achieved a BSc in Nursing Studies, an Advanced Wound Care Course (ENB A42) an MSc with Distinction in Advancing Practice in Tissue Viability, a Non-Medical Prescriber and Mentor. These and other studies formed the basis of a career long interest in evidence-based care and how application can reduce the burden of wounding on patients’ lives, experience, the local and national health service and the wider society.
To improve outcomes for wounded people and improve effective healthcare delivery Sarah used her knowledge and skills to develop wound care services across a variety of community, secondary and mental health care settings including.; Watford, Mount Vernon and St Pancras Hospitals, Camden & Islington (C&I) PCTs, C&I Mental Health Trust and Barnet, Enfield and Haringey Mental Health Trust (BEH-MHT). Sarah has been a Consultant Nurse in Enfield Community Services (ECS) since 2009, which became part of BEH-MHT and since April 2023 ECS is now part of the North Middlesex University Hospital Community Division. Sarah has contributed to the development of a number of national best practice statements, presented nationally and internationally at wound care related conferences, is a co-chair of the Tissue Viability Nurse Forum (South) Group, and has recently re-joined the Leg Ulcer Forum Executive Committee.
Sarah believes that all patients should have the best opportunity to live a wound free life. She believes that nurses are uniquely placed to make a significant difference to these people, their families and the wider society and she is proud to be a clinical lead in this specialised field and thoroughly enjoys her role as a Consultant Nurse in Tissue Viability.