Elizabeth Fradd

Elizabeth Fradd, SRN, RSCN, SCM, HC, HV Cert, MSc is a nursing academic and fellow of the Royal College of Nursing.

Between 1973 and 1983 when she held a variety of registered nurse, midwife and health visitor posts, she also trained as a children’s nurse who has also managed children’s units in Nottingham and worked as a nursing officer at the Department of Health. In 1994 she gained an MSc in Health Care Policy and Organisation from Nottingham University. A year later she became the Director of Nursing and Education at the NHS Executive West Midlands Regional Office. Four years later she was appointed as the Assistant Chief Nursing Officer (Nursing Practice) for the Department of Health.

At national level, she was Assistant Chief Nurse in the Department of Health, a post she moved to after having been the Director of Nursing and Education in the West Midlands Regional Office. She chaired the Joint British Advisory Committee for Children’s Nursing for over ten years. She has also chaired the Children’s Nursing Committee for the English National Board and was Vice Chair of the RCN Children’s Nurse Managers Forum.

She was also involved with the development of the Commission for Health Improvement, her role was that of Director of Nursing and Lead Director for the Inspection and Review Programme.

She also holds many honorary academic positions which include a Visiting Professor of Nursing at the University of Central England, Birmingham. Her career has also taken an international direction, including an invitation to advise Aboriginal health workers in the Australian outback. She has also acted in an advisory capacity to China, the U.S., Canada and Australia.

She is a frequent speaker/chair at national and international conferences and her work has appeared in numerous publications. In 1999 she was one of the three nurses honoured at the Women of the Year event.

Since April 2004 she has been working as an independent adviser on health services and continues to take an interest in children’s health as a Trustee for Contact a Family and the Rainbows Children’s Hospice in Loughborough, and as an adviser to Action for Sick Children.

She has received honorary doctorates from the University of Central England, University of Wolverhampton and University of Nottingham, where she also has a special professorship.