Nurse who began her career in Hastings retires after 42 years with the NHS

Angela Colosi, Deputy Chief Nurse for Quality and Policy, role, which sits within the Corporate Nursing Team, is extremely patient focused and is crucial in ensuring that patients are receiving the highest quality of care.

“No two days are the same” says Angela. “I could be involved in a safeguarding situation or supporting senior nurses with clinical decision making.

“I line manage the Central Clinical Governance Team, who in turn manage the Patient Safety Team, the Clinical Effectiveness Team and the Health and Safety Team. I also line manage the Lead Chaplain, Quality Improvement Lead, the Corporate Nursing Project and Support Manager and the Corporate Nursing Team Administrator. My role is one of influencing, co-ordination and negotiation. Along with my colleague, the Deputy Chief Nurse for Workforce and Professional Standards, we represent around 3,000 frontline nurses and support Vikki Carruth, the Chief Nurse.

“As part of my job, I am also the lead for non-medical prescribing. This is the prescribing of medication by any professional other than doctors. As part of this I developed the original non-medical prescribing policy and governance process in the early 2000s, to safeguard patients and staff, ensuring that healthcare professionals are suitably qualified and registered for any necessary prescribing required for their roles.

“My whole working life as been spent as a nurse. I spent some time in hospital as a little girl and the nurses that looked after me truly inspired me to want to become a nurse myself”.

Angela began her training in 1983 at the Hastings School of Nursing. She first worked at the Royal East Sussex Hospital (RESH) in Hastings as a staff nurse before being tempted away for a year working as a dancer with Royal Caribbean Cruises – a decision that saw her meet her future husband, who was working on board as a wine waiter! On her return to the UK, Angela worked for several years at the Royal London Hospital in the Trauma Intensive Therapy Unit before taking a career break to have her four children.

Angela returned to studying at the University of Brighton, retraining and then gaining her Diploma in Professional Practice, a Bachelors in District Nursing, and then a Masters in Advance Practice. She then took on a role as a Nurse Consultant in a community setting, her time split between education and strategy, as well as working clinically as a Community Matron.

Angela then became the Assistant Director of Nursing of the Corporate Nursing Team – a position that took her away from clinical practice to focus on clinical leadership and management. She was honoured to be nominated for a Florence Nightingale Leadership Scholarship, which saw a year of investment in her personal and professional development. She led the nursing workforce through the Covid pandemic.

“The best thing about my job is definitely the people – both patients and my colleagues over the years. I try to go out and be on the wards, talking to people as often as I can. The Conquest has a huge number of long-serving staff, which is testament to the opportunities and culture here. I will not miss all the virtual meetings though!” Once she retires Angela is keen to continue studying in her new role as a Functional Kinesiologist and Registered Nurse with a specialist interest in perimenopause.

“It is an alternative therapy that focuses on nutrition and lifestyle, muscle testing to interpret what the body needs and focusses on the interplay between different hormones in the body. I became aware of it after being diagnosed with psoriatic arthritis and found it has really made a difference. It will also allow me to go back to caring and empowering people to manage their own health.”