Dr Claire Pryor appointed as UK’s first RCN Foundation Chair in Adult Social Care Nursing

The new role has been created in partnership with the RCN Foundation to take a strategic lead in shaping research and education in adult social care nursing at a local, national and international level. Dr Pryor will be based in the University’s Nursing and Midwifery Directorate in the School of Health and Society, which is the largest specialist provider of nursing and midwifery education in the region.

The aim of the role is to translate research into professional practice in order to improve nursing care and to develop the evidence-base to support the current and next generation of nurses for adult social care. This Chair is a UK focussed role and Claire will work closely with the Chief Nurse for Adult Social Care in England, Professor Deborah Sturdy CBE.

Commenting on her appointment, Dr Pryor said: “I am excited and passionate about the new role, and the significant impact the focus on adult social care will bring. There is an absolute need to ensure our nurses working in social care settings are recognised, supported, and developed throughout their careers. We need to work toward recognition of social care nurses as a highly skilled, autonomous clinicians, and empower them to use specialist and advanced skills, leading and shaping high quality care across the sector.”

Dr Pryor is currently Assistant Professor of Adult Nursing at Northumbria University, specialising in frailty, social care nursing and non-medical prescribing. Before moving into education, Claire worked as a nursing assistant in care homes and as a staff nurse in medical assessment and critical care before becoming a nurse practitioner for older people within mental health settings.

Professor Margaret Rowe, PVC and Dean of the School of Health and Society at University of Salford said: “Working in close partnership with the RCN Foundation, the Chair role will drive changes to Adult Social Care across the UK in terms of education, professional practice and research. We are very happy that Claire will be joining us, and we look forward to the benefits her role will no doubt bring to our students as we continue to develop and educate the next generation of nurses in adult social care.”

Deepa Korea, RCN Foundation Director, said “We are delighted that the inaugural RCN Foundation Chair in Adult Social Care Nursing has been appointed at the University of Salford. This appointment marks a significant milestone for the nursing profession and the wider social care sector. Having a dedicated Chair will not only further advance the academic and practical knowledge in adult social care nursing that it so vitally needed, but also ensure that the important work of this part of the nursing workforce is highlighted. The role will also develop further the clinical expertise and leadership needed across the sector to meet the complex needs of those accessing social care.

This initiative underscores the RCN Foundation's abiding commitment to supporting the professional development of nurses and thereby enhancing the quality of care across the UK.”

Dr Pryor will take up her role on 31 July. The RCN Foundation chose University of Salford to host the role, after a competitive process.

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Notes to Editors:

About the University of Salford

The University of Salford is proud to be at the heart of the world-leading innovations around social change and economic development that have defined Salford and Greater Manchester since the industrial revolution, and transformed it into the thriving city region it is today; a place where ideas are formed that shape the world.

By working closely with charities and policy makers to influence positive change the University of Salford is dedicated to delivering lasting economic and social benefit as a way of creating a healthier and more prosperous world.

About the RCN Foundation

The RCN Foundation is an independent charity whose purpose is to support and strengthen nursing and midwifery to improve the health and wellbeing of the public. It is there for every current and former nurse, midwife, and health care support worker, as well as students and nursing associates. The Foundation supports individual members of the nursing and midwifery teams by providing grants to those who are facing hardship, or who want to enhance their skills and develop their practice; it invests in the professions by funding nursing and midwifery-led projects; and it champions nursing and midwifery by supporting projects that raise the profile of the profession and highlight the contribution that nursing and midwifery makes to improving the nation’s health.

The Foundation is chaired by Professor Jane Cummings CBE, a former Chief Nursing Officer for England