Juliet Pearce, deputy chief nursing officer at UHS, to take up director role with Isle of Wight NHS Trust

Juliet Pearce, deputy chief nursing officer at UHS, will be leaving the Trust in October to take up the position of director of nursing, midwifery and allied health professions for the Isle of Wight NHS Trust.

Juliet has been an integral part of the UHS family for the past 30 years, particularly with her work around patient safety and transformation.

She trained at University College Hospital London and joined UHS after she qualified in 1991, initially working in trauma and orthopaedics and progressing to senior sister of a newly-opened orthopaedic short-stay unit at the Princess Anne Hospital.

Her work in this speciality enabled her to gain wide-ranging experience from major trauma to elective surgery and she went on to develop skills and interests in other areas, leading to a masters degree in leadership and management in social care.

She has also supported the Trust in a variety of roles covering cost improvement and transformation, clinical governance and patient experience and safety during her career in Southampton.

“I was so lucky to know from a very early age that I wanted to be a nurse,” said Juliet. “My mum was a district nursing sister and every Christmas day I would go with her while she did her rounds to keep her company.

“Often her patients would invite me and I saw how much her visits meant to them and the difference she was making and knew I wanted to do the same.

“I’ve always been passionate about patient safety and experience and was fortunate enough to be able to develop my career in roles that let me focus on the quality of care including patient advice and liaison, divisional governance, transformation and patient safety before becoming the deputy chief nurse.

“UHS will always have a special place in my heart. It’s been an absolute privilege to work in an organisation that delivers outstanding care for patients.

“I am always humbled by the people who work in this special place and who go beyond every day to do their best for patients and still find time to look after each other.

“I have never been prouder to be a nurse than supporting UHS during the pandemic and I will miss all the colleagues and friends who have supported me, lifted me up and kept me smiling for the last 30 years.”

Gail Byrne, chief nursing officer at UHS, said: “Juliet will certainly be missed by us all. She has worked at UHS for 30 years and has contributed so much, particularly in terms of quality, patient safety, patient experience and nursing standards.

“As my deputy she will be hard to replace as she so embodies the UHS values and can be relied upon not just by me but by everyone.

“What will be our loss will be the Isle of Wight’s gain. She was so ready for this post and I am sure you will join me in congratulating her.”