Introducing our field nursing Managers
 

claire robertsClaire Roberts Dip AVN(Surg) PGCertVetAA VNCert ECC RVN
Primary Care Nursing Director

Claire is an RVN with the Dip AVN(Surg), PGCertVetAA and CertVNECC. She is currently an elected member of the RCVS VN Council where she represents veterinary nurses on Standards and CPD compliance committees.

Working in veterinary nursing for over 25 years, she has experience in private, charity, emergency, referral practices, education, and industry. She joined Linnaeus in 2020 initially as part of the Professional Development team and is now working as the Primary Care Nursing Director responsible for our primary care business units across the UK.

Claire helps direct excellent nursing leadership and engagement, clinical standards, client experience, education, and clinical research within our primary care business units, playing an integral part in the development and leading of the nursing strategy, working alongside local senior leadership teams and operations, whilst ensuring that our Linnaeus values are demonstrated at all levels

helen byeHelen Bye BSc(Hons) VNPA, Dip (ILM L5), V1, A1, RVN
Referral Nursing Director

Helen is an RVN who has worked within the profession for over 20 years. She has experience in primary care, emergency and referral practices, has worked abroad, and with a training provider supporting student veterinary nurses. She joined Linnaeus in 2015 as a rotational RVN at Cave Veterinary Specialists, a referral site in the South West and gained various leadership roles at Cave including Head of Nursing Services. Helen joined Linnaeus’ Central Nursing Team in January 2023 as Referral Nursing Director.

Claire and Helen help direct excellent nursing leadership and engagement, clinical standards, client experience, education, and clinical research within our primary care and referral business units. They play an integral part in the development and leading of the nursing strategy, working alongside local senior leadership teams and operations, whilst ensuring that our Linnaeus values are demonstrated at all levels

Our main purpose and goals

  • Bring to life and execute the nursing strategy – through team development, coaching and engagement. Effective leadership, operational execution and where required, through audit and governance
  • Support the senior leaders to drive and grow the performance within nursing, focusing on quality, excellence, and team engagement by providing expert opinion
  • Support function Business partners, including HRBPs and H&S
  • Provide a nursing insight at site level in line with the Field Medical Directors to deliver a multi-functional overview
  • Working with the Regional and Managing Directors to ensure that each practice has the correct operational delivery structure, including a nursing presence on the Senior Leadership Team (SLT)and nursing capability for its local needs and that the delivery of nursing is aligned with the group strategic objectives – this includes demand and capacity planning.
  • Help deliver productivity and efficiency in the hospitals to achieve commercial goals.
  • Review and provide feedback to the clinical delivery models by identifying areas where investment and development within the nursing teams can lead to playing a greater role in the delivery of care
  • Review opportunities to enhance quality across nursing through reviewing policies, procedures and working practices, sharing best practice, risk management and audit
  • Measure and validate the nursing impact on the patient on both quality and outcomes
  • Champion the attraction, growth and development of the groups nursing capacity and capability across the estate by:
  • Collaborating with Central Support Teams to ensure that the voice of the nurse and the nursing strategy are incorporated into all operational programmes and initiatives
  • Provide leadership to senior leaders to aid collaboration and share best practice and support in driving quality and outcome improvements. Provide leadership challenge and support to the senior operational teams, and Managing Directors as required in the delivery of the businesses commercial and strategic goals and objectives
  • Supporting the appointment of the best and brightest talent
  • Developing both technical and leadership skills
  • Championing talent and considering group wide opportunities for the nursing population
  • Succession planning for senior nursing
  • Ensuring effective career pathways and development
  • Grow initiatives that support the retention of the nursing workforce.