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Debbie Field smiling at the camera. She is a white woman with short blonde hair, wearing a red top. A shelf of books is in the background.

Debbie's leadership story

Debbie Field is a Consultant Nurse specialising in complex home ventilation at the Royal Brompton Hospital Trust (RBHT).

On becoming a leader

Formal professional courses:

  • Dip Nursing 
  • BSc (hons) nursing 
  • PhD Philosophy 
  • MA (Dis) Medical Humanities 
  • ENB 249 Cardiothoracic Nursing 

 Key moments in my leadership journey:

  • Being mentored by an awesome senior clinical nurse for 8 years of my career as an intensive care unit sister and lecturer-practitioner.
  • Working with a fantastic strong nursing team that led the ICU at a tertiary referral DGH for 6 years – developing nurse-led long-term weaning strategies and developing research and education within that area of care.
  • Developing my own philosophy of care that continues to direct my clinical practice.
  • Writing my first chapter on long term weaning and having it published in an international clinical textbook in 2008.
  • Running and developing the Cardiac nursing course at KCL for 1 year.

Leadership experience

  • BACCN – chair of the southern region for 3 years. Giving lectures and presentations around the southern critical care networks highlighting the importance of nurses leading care in the ICU. Encouraging nurse research at the bedside.
  • Chair of PTA at my children’s school for 3 years – increasing funding for school trips to increase inclusivity for all. 
  • ERS – chair of the nurses group for 3 years – highlighting the importance of the role of the nurse in respiratory care within a very medically dominated society. 
  • SWCCN – leading and developing a cross network long term weaning pathway for 4 ICU’s ensuring that the nurse is the pivot of the pathway. 
  • NHS Modernization agency 
  • JIVD scientific committee 
  • PhD/ MA/MSc mentor – this is for nurses, physios and doctors who are carrying out post grad studies in medical humanities, clinical research and philosophy. 
  • Leading and developing the complex home ventilation outreach service over the past 11 years at the RBHT – starting with myself and 20 patients in the community. Today there are now 4 WTE with over 300 patients on our caseload. 
  • Active Birkbeck College alumni – giving talks, lectures and supporting up-and-coming post grad students. 
  • Leading the weaning and decannulation of patients on the RBHT ICUs during the COVID-19 epidemic. 

What helped you develop as a leader?

There have been two significant role models who developed and influenced me in my early years. One was a nurse, the other a doctor. Both believed in me, saw the potential in me and encouraged me to believe in myself and my philosophy of care. They gave constructive criticism when needed and supported me to develop my clinical practice despite many challenges. They made me believe in me. 

I cannot stress enough the importance of having role models to help support, influence and develop you as a clinician and a person in the most holistic way. Unfortunately, such role models are harder to find in the current healthcare system.

In October 2015, Professor Anita Simonds gave me the opportunity to develop my vision of a community outreach service for complex home ventilation patients at RBHT. Over the past 11 years I have been able to consolidate my leadership skills, knowledge and experience to build and grow this service successfully. I work with and lead a brilliant team. 

My partner, family and friends are also pivotal in my development as a leader. Without them I could not have managed to get where I am today within my career. 

What makes a good leadership training experience?

I have never done any formal leadership training. My training has been my career and clinical practice which have been influenced by the people I have met in my career, personal and social life. My tips for aspiring leaders are:

  • It is important to think outside the box and go outside of your comfort zone.
  • Put yourself forward to undertake and lead projects and teams that may challenge you.  
  • Look at and read about other positive and effective female leaders outside of your profession. 
  • There are great TED talks and books by significant and influential female leaders, from the past to the present.
  • Believe in yourself and find an effective role model who can help support you. 

What qualities do you feel are important in leadership roles?

  • Ability to inspire and motivate 
  • Being a team player 
  • Clarity of vision and a clear philosophy 
  • Good communicator and an active listener 
  • Integrity and ability to make decisions 
  • Emotional intelligence  
  • Self constructive criticism and reflection  
  • Accountability 
  • Adaptability and flexibility 
  • Ability to laugh at yourself and have a sense of humor 
  • Able to think outside the box 
  • Empathy 
  • Confidence 

What are the barriers and what helps?

This is a difficult question to answer as it depends on your role and profession. 

However, throughout my 46 years as a nurse the barriers to being taken seriously and developing my own career and leadership have been; being a nurse, and being female. This is not a flippant run-of-the-mill statement but one that I still battle with within a male medically dominated healthcare system that still sees nursing as a lesser profession.  

Western Eurocentric healthcare also sees ‘caring’ as a softer ‘female’ dominated activity that is less worthy than the perceived robust medical activity where the doctor is there to clinically fix and the nurse to care and nurture. However, one cannot care for a patient effectively without the other. They are of equal parts. 

There is a lack of role models in nursing, and I feel that nursing has lost its way in the pursuit and obsession of being recognized as a ‘profession’ like medicine. Nursing is unique and needs to own its role as a pivot to care. 

Patients need nurses who care and are compassionate. Patients do not care whether the nurse has a degree or PhD, they want someone who will advocate for them, listen and care for them. 

Therefore, we need to share our stories as nurses and nurse leaders and demonstrate that the interventions, care and time we give our patients do make a difference. That evidenced base care is not just through RCT’s but patient and clinician stories of the everyday.