Jemma Lewis
Wales,UK
Summary
Compassionate and results-driven senior nursing executive with over 15 years’ experience leading nursing and clinical operations across acute, post-acute, community, and specialist services in both the UK and UAE. Proven ability to transform services through strategic redesign, hospital commissioning, and cross-system integration — always underpinned by an unwavering commitment to clinical excellence, patient safety, and experience.
Skilled in developing and empowering high-performing nursing teams, embedding robust governance structures, and driving a culture of compassionate, accountable leadership. Informed by foundational experience in oncology and palliative care, and current practice as a Clinical Specialist, bringing a deeply person-centred, values-led approach to organisational leadership.
Recognised for building nursing services that are safe, sustainable, and emotionally responsive. Nominated for the Pathway to Excellence “Nurse Leader of the Year” Award in recognition of a leadership style that blends empathy, operational rigour, and measurable impact on workforce engagement, service quality, and patient outcomes.
Overview
1
1
Certification
20
20
years of professional experience
Work history
Clinical specialist
City Hospice
Cardiff
2025.08 - 2026.07
- Appointed to revitalise and expand community palliative and end-of-life care across Cardiff, driving improvements in access, equity, and service integration for patients with complex, life-limiting conditions.
- Lead development and implementation of clinical policies, multidisciplinary care protocols, and pathway improvements in alignment with national palliative care frameworks and commissioning goals.
- Provide expert holistic assessment, symptom management, and anticipatory care planning for patients with malignant and non-malignant diagnoses — supporting patients and families through complex clinical and emotional journeys.
- Shape strategic priorities including reducing avoidable hospital admissions, enhancing care planning, and increasing place-of-death choice, in collaboration with senior leadership and system partners.
- Foster integrated working across primary, secondary, and voluntary sectors — building partnerships with GPs, consultants, social care, and community teams to ensure continuity of care.
- Contribute to clinical governance through audit, service evaluation, and quality improvement activity, driving service safety, responsiveness, and reflective learning.
- Champion workforce development through mentoring, informal education, and supervision — strengthening the skill mix, resilience, and sustainability of the clinical team.
- This role has further enhanced my clinical credibility while deepening my strategic insight into the intersection of compassionate care, quality leadership, and operational innovation — foundations that continue to shape my nursing leadership philosophy at system level.
Neonatal intensive care nurse
Aneurin Bevan
Cwmbran, Torfaen County Borough
2025.01 - 2025.08
- Delivered specialist nursing care to premature and critically ill newborns within a busy Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU), providing family-centred, evidence-based care.
- Competently cared for babies requiring respiratory support, intravenous therapies, enteral feeding, thermoregulation and continuous physiological monitoring.
- Worked collaboratively within the multidisciplinary team, recognising and escalating clinical deterioration promptly to ensure safe, timely interventions.
- Supported parents through emotionally challenging situations, providing education, reassurance and compassionate communication throughout their baby's admission.
- Developed strong foundations in neonatal assessment, prioritisation, infection prevention, medication administration and safe discharge planning.
Senior Director of Clinical Operations
Mubadala Health/M42
Abu Dhabi, UAE
2023.04 - 2024.08
- Held full clinical and operational leadership of a 1000-bed Women & Children’s hospital, overseeing services across maternity, NICU, paediatrics, surgical, medical, and outpatient specialties.
- Provided strategic oversight of the nursing division, leading over 800 nurses and clinical staff across disciplines. Directed the hospital’s successful accreditation journeys including JCI, CARF, and Baby Friendly Hospital Initiative (BFHI), embedding compliance, compassion, and clinical excellence into everyday practice.
- Established a senior nursing leadership structure to support frontline teams, drive accountability, and foster career progression — significantly improving staff retention and succession planning.
- Successfully redesigned clinical operations and service delivery models to enhance quality, patient flow, and brand positioning — repositioning Danat Al Emarat as Abu Dhabi’s leading Women & Children’s hospital.
- Elevated patient experience scores from 21% to 98% through targeted improvements in care delivery, responsiveness, and formal patient engagement mechanisms.
- Regularly deputised for the Chief Executive Officer and Medical Director, contributing to corporate decision-making, strategic planning, and executive clinical governance forums.
- Led the development and rollout of the organisation-wide Safeguarding Framework, supporting the protection of vulnerable women and children while embedding policy into frontline practice.
- Directed a team of 30 senior clinical managers, championing a safety-first, compassionate culture rooted in shared leadership and accountability.
- Partnered with Great Ormond Street Hospital to co-design simulation and clinical training programmes, elevating internal capability in neonatal and paediatric critical care.
- Played a key role in medical workforce planning, supporting recruitment across subspecialties and leading the induction and integration of all newly appointed Directors of Clinical Operations within the wider group.
- Introduced and operationalised new service lines to expand access, increase hospital profitability, and improve continuity of care for complex women’s and children’s health needs.
- Reported to the Board on strategic performance, financials, clinical quality, and patient experience, ensuring transparency and alignment with organisational objectives.
Director of Clinical Operations
Amana Healthcare/M42
2020.04 - 2023.04
- Led the strategic integration of Amana’s clinical operations into the Mubadala Health network, enhancing system capacity and establishing seamless care transitions with Healthpoint and Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi.
- Provided senior leadership over Amana’s nursing and multidisciplinary teams, overseeing care across long-term, rehabilitation, ventilated, and end-of-life pathways — ensuring the highest standards of clinical quality, patient dignity, and safety.
- Successfully commissioned a 120-bed long-term and palliative care facility within a functioning hotel during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic — safely delivering care to ventilated and terminally ill patients, and relieving significant pressure from acute hospitals.
- Developed a unified clinical model and governance framework that aligned operational standards, staffing ratios, and quality protocols across all facilities within the Mubadala continuum.
- Led on the upskilling and development of the nursing workforce, delivering targeted education in ventilated care, tracheostomy management, palliative symptom control, and complex rehabilitation.
- Designed and implemented a system-wide nursing competency framework to ensure safe transitions from ICU to long-term care, and to build capability within a rapidly evolving clinical landscape.
- Transformed an underperforming wing of Healthpoint Hospital into a fully operational ventilated unit, expanding complex care access while maintaining staff confidence and continuity of care.
- Managed clinical and operational oversight for over 400 staff, embedding a culture of governance, reflective practice, and compassionate leadership across the service.
- Achieved JCI and CARF accreditations, demonstrating world-class standards in both clinical care and rehabilitation, and reinforcing Amana’s status as a national centre of excellence in long-term care.
- Worked cross-functionally with physicians, allied health, and corporate teams to implement care transformation projects, improve patient safety indicators, and enhance Amana’s regional reputation.
- This role was pivotal in deepening my leadership of nursing systems, particularly within complex and emotionally challenging environments, and has shaped my continued commitment to operational excellence, staff empowerment, and humanised models of care at executive level.
Head of Nursing
Amana Healthcare
2017.07 - 2020.04
- Provided strategic clinical and operational leadership for Amana’s flagship long-term, ventilated, and rehabilitation facility — delivering complex care for patients with chronic illness, severe disability, and end-of-life needs.
- Led the recruitment, onboarding, and retention of over 250 nurses across adult, paediatric, neurorehabilitation, and palliative specialties, aligning staffing models with growing service demand and acuity levels.
- Designed and implemented a robust nursing education and professional development programme, ensuring all staff maintained high standards of clinical competence, safety, and compassionate care delivery.
- Embedded a strong values-based nursing culture focused on dignity, empathy, and accountability, significantly enhancing team morale, patient engagement, and workforce stability.
- Chaired the Quality of Life Committee, overseeing a £50,000 budget and delivering impactful patient-facing initiatives — including sensory therapy, culturally tailored end-of-life care, and family inclusion programmes.
- Strengthened the service’s end-of-life care model by advancing anticipatory planning, symptom control, and respectful engagement with families and faith leaders.
- Established and monitored clinical quality improvement protocols aligned with JCI and CARF standards, ensuring full regulatory compliance and a continuous learning environment.
- Spearheaded operational transformation projects — reducing admission times from five days to under 24 hours, and digitising clinical documentation through seamless EMR integration.
- Oversaw governance, safety, and daily operations across a high-dependency caseload, while maintaining a proactive focus on workforce wellbeing, reflective practice, and leadership development.
- This role solidified my strategic capabilities as a nursing leader, affirming the essential role of skilled, supported, and inspired nursing teams in delivering safe, humanised, and future-ready care systems.
Senior Outreach Nurse Critical Care
Cwm Taf Morgannwg University Health Board
2016.01 - 2017.01
- Delivered expert-level outreach care to clinically deteriorating patients across acute wards, using advanced clinical judgement to assess, stabilise, and escalate patients in critical condition.
- Independently conducted full clinical assessments of acutely unwell patients, interpreting complex data including early warning scores, arterial blood gases, and haemodynamic trends.
- Provided timely clinical feedback to ICU consultants, influencing escalation decisions and determining whether patients required urgent transfer or could be stabilised in place under outreach care.
- Personally assumed responsibility for high-acuity patients when appropriate, delivering advanced interventions including cannulation, venepuncture, ABG sampling, fluid resuscitation, oxygen therapy, and continuous observation.
- Played an active role on the hospital-wide resuscitation team, providing high-level support during cardiac arrests and major clinical emergencies.
- Designed and implemented ward-based sepsis boxes, dramatically reducing time-to-treatment for suspected sepsis; this innovation was later adopted by the Welsh Government as a national model.
- Led clinical debriefs and supported post-emergency case reviews to identify learning, support emotional wellbeing, and improve response processes.
- Established and co-led post-bereavement clinics, advocating for compassionate follow-up care despite initial organisational resistance — providing structured support to grieving families.
- Mentored junior staff and provided real-time education at the bedside, enhancing ward teams’ confidence in early recognition and escalation of deteriorating patients.
- Spearheaded multiple quality improvement projects focused on critical care pathways, improving safety, outcomes, and interdepartmental collaboration.
Critical Care Nurse
University of Wales Cardiff
Cardiff, UK
2010.01 - 2016.01
- Provided comprehensive nursing care to Level 2 and 3 patients in critical condition, working across a variety of high-acuity settings including General ICU, Surgical ICU, Cardiac ICU, Burns ICU, and Neurological ICU.
- Delivered complex care interventions including ventilator management, vasoactive medication support, renal replacement therapy, invasive line monitoring, and advanced airway support under consultant-led care plans.
- Built advanced competence in the recognition and management of rapid physiological deterioration, complex pain control, and multi-organ failure.
- Worked as part of a high-performing multidisciplinary team, collaborating with intensivists, anaesthetists, surgeons, pharmacists, and allied health professionals to deliver holistic, evidence-based care.
- Played a key role in end-of-life care delivery, developing counselling and communication skills to support patients and families through difficult decisions and treatment withdrawal processes.
- Co-developed and launched a bereavement follow-up clinic for families who experienced a death in the ICU, working with psychology, chaplaincy, and social work to reduce the long-term health impacts of unresolved grief.
- Contributed to ward-based audits, quality improvement rounds, and reflective practice reviews to drive safety and continuous improvement in critical care delivery.
- Supported orientation and mentoring of new staff, fostering a calm, safe, and clinically accountable learning environment.
Palliative Care Nurse
Velindre Cancer service
Cardiff
2007.01 - 2010.09
- Began my nursing career at Velindre Cancer Centre, a leading tertiary oncology hospital, where I developed a strong clinical and emotional foundation in cancer care, palliative treatment, and end-of-life support.
- Provided holistic care to patients receiving chemotherapy, radiotherapy, and supportive therapies, ensuring dignity, symptom control, and emotional safety at all stages of the cancer journey.
- Gained early exposure to palliative and end-of-life care, supporting patients and families through complex decision-making, anticipatory grief, and the final stages of life with empathy and professionalism.
- Built strong clinical competence in the administration of systemic anti-cancer therapies (SACT), including recognising and managing treatment-related complications and deterioration.
- Responded confidently to oncological emergencies such as neutropenic sepsis, spinal cord compression, and superior vena cava obstruction, initiating escalation procedures and working closely with medical teams to ensure safe outcomes.
- Supported bereaved families and contributed to early follow-up efforts, helping ensure continuity of care even after a patient’s death.
- Collaborated within a multidisciplinary team of oncologists, palliative care nurses, pharmacists, psychologists, and allied health professionals, contributing to safe, joined-up care.
- Participated in service audits, reflective practice discussions, and informal quality improvement initiatives that strengthened communication and patient support.
- Developed a deep understanding of patient and family experience, emotional resilience, and the value of personalised care — all of which continue to shape my leadership and clinical decision-making in specialist palliative roles today.
Education
Master of Business Administration - Leadership
University of Lincoln
UKCertified Professional in Healthcare Quality (CPHQ)
Eatimad
UAECounselling Skills Level 1-3 - Counselling
Coleg Morgannwg
Pontypridd 9 2012 - 9 2015
Foundations in Intensive Care -
University of Wales
SwanseaLoss, Grief and Bereavement -
University of Wales
SwanseaBachelor of Nursing -
University of Wales
Swansea 9 2004 - 9 2007
Skills
- Executive Leadership & Strategy – Leading complex healthcare organisations with a balance of clinical, operational, and financial priorities
- Clinical Operations & Nursing Leadership – Oversight of clinical services, governance, workforce development, and safe, high-quality care delivery
- Operational Excellence & Patient Experience – Driving efficiency, service redesign, and patient-centred improvements across healthcare networks
- Mergers, Acquisitions & Service Integration – Expertise in post-acquisition integration, capacity building, and organisational alignment
- Transformational Change & Culture – Proven ability to deliver turnaround strategies, embed cultural change, and foster staff engagement
- Stakeholder Engagement & Programme Delivery – Skilled in project management, multi-agency collaboration, and board-level communication
- Compassionate Leadership & End-of-Life Care – Advocate for values-driven, person-centred care with deep expertise in palliative services, bereavement support, and emotionally intelligent leadership
Certification
- Registered Nurse (Adult) – Nursing & Midwifery Council (NMC), UK – PIN active and in good standing
- Previously licensed with the Department of Health – Abu Dhabi (DoH); eligible for fast-track reactivation
- Holder of a UAE Golden Visa, supporting long-term relocation and employment flexibility across the Emirates
Languages
English
Welsh
Languages
6,6
Career break August 2024-January 2025
Timeline
Clinical specialist
City Hospice
2025.08 - 2026.07
Neonatal intensive care nurse
Aneurin Bevan
2025.01 - 2025.08
Senior Director of Clinical Operations
Mubadala Health/M42
2023.04 - 2024.08
Director of Clinical Operations
Amana Healthcare/M42
2020.04 - 2023.04
Head of Nursing
Amana Healthcare
2017.07 - 2020.04
Senior Outreach Nurse Critical Care
Cwm Taf Morgannwg University Health Board
2016.01 - 2017.01
Critical Care Nurse
University of Wales Cardiff
2010.01 - 2016.01
Palliative Care Nurse
Velindre Cancer service
2007.01 - 2010.09
Bachelor of Nursing -
University of Wales
9 2004 - 9 2007
Loss, Grief and Bereavement -
University of Wales
Foundations in Intensive Care -
University of Wales
Counselling Skills Level 1-3 - Counselling
Coleg Morgannwg
9 2012 - 9 2015
Certified Professional in Healthcare Quality (CPHQ)
Eatimad
Master of Business Administration - Leadership
University of Lincoln