Prof Helen Allan

Professor in Nursing

Helen Allan

  • School Faculty of Health, Social Care and Education

  • Department Adult, Child & Midwifery

  • Location London

Research activities

Ihave shown research leadership in the following areas:

·      Migrationand racism

Allan H T (2010) mentoring overseasnurses: barriers to effective and non-discriminatory mentoring practices.Nursing Ethics 17(5) 603-613 https://doi:10.1177/0969733010368747; [HA1] 

Allan H T (2021) Reflections on whiteness:racialised identities in nursing. Nursing Inquiry, e12467 https://doi.org/10.1111/nin.12467.

Allan H T, Traynor M (2023) Racism inNursing. Sage Pubs.

·      Workforceroles and boundaries, learning in clinical practice

 Drennan V, Collins L, Allan H, Brimblecombe N, Taylor F HalterM (2021) Advanced clinical practice roles in the National Health Service,England: a remedy for workforce problems? A qualitative study of senior staffperspectives. Journal Health Service Research and Policy, 7(2):96-105 https://doi.org/10.1177/13558196211036727;

Allan HT, Evans K (2022) Theorising in Practice: understanding hownurses theorise. Sage Publications];

Allan H T Caldwell C Mehigan S, Trueman S(2023) Usingactor network theory to explore collaborative working in nursing: a narrativeevaluation of the Capital Nurse programme in London, UK. Journal of AdvancedNursing https://dx.doi.org/10.1111/jan.15799;

Taylor F, Halter M, Drennan V, Allan H,Collins L.  (2022) Working in advancedclinical practice in health care services in England: motivators at the microlevel for role uptake. Social Science in Medicine Qualitative Research inHealth, 27(2):96-105.doi: 10.1177/13558196211036727;

·       Infertility, reproductivetechnologies:

Allan H T, Barber D (2004) “Nothing out of ordinary”: Advancedfertility nursing practice. Human Fertility 7(4) 277-284;

Allan HT (1997) Responding to feminist critiques of reproductivemedicine Journal of Reproduction and Fertility Abstract Series 19, 18[HA2] ].

 

I have been PI on multi-disciplinarystudies with collaborators from a range ofUniversities nationally and internationally, and NHS organisations

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Current Teaching

Believing that nurse education needs tohave a flexible ‘home’ within any university to fully meet professionals’educational needs, and that this is increasingly important as provider-lededucation becomes more embedded in the future, I have taught across a range ofhealth professional programmes at Surrey, York and Middlesex, contributing tocurricula and creating new modules. Examples include: leading on emotionallearning at Surrey. I have published on this work with students: Allan HT, Arber A (2017) Reflexivity and emotions in health care fieldwork. PalgraveMacMillan. I developedthis approach in psychodynamic supervision for dissertation supervisors. Relevantoutput:

Allan H T(2011) Usingpsycho-dynamic small group work in nurse education: closing the theory-practicegap? Nurse Education Today 31(5)521-524. https://DOI:10.1016/j.nedt.2010.09.006[HA1] .

 Examples of curriculum and teachinginnovation at MDX include: 2014, Developing an APEL route toregistration for overseas trained nurses, (PI) Funder: HENCEL £94,000 whichintroduced a module to improve access to nurse registration; 2019, I introduced a curriculum threadon infertility and reproductive technologies to the BSc Midwifery programme;2022, I co-wrote an online module for BSc Nursing, Wicked Problems in Nursing.

Scholarship lead: I regularly contribute to departmental seminars Scholars at Workseries, to disseminate my research, suggest ways of embedding knowledge incurricula and enhance critical engagement of teaching staff with research forstaff CPD. In 2022, I introduced nursing and midwifery discipline specific PGRseminars for staff on PGR pathways and to encourage staff to start on theseroutes. I currently have I am currentlysupervising eight staff PhDs registered at MDX as a result of these SaW and PGRseminars


Biography

My research focuses on thesocial processes which shape nursing practice. My aim in both teaching andresearch is to improve clinical care and learning. Before a career in teachingand research, I qualified as a registered nurse at University College[HA1]  Hospital, London in 1978. I left theNHS in 1987 as ward manager after 13 years in clinical practice to study forBSc Sociology Hons at London School of Economics, University of London. Igraduated in 1991 and qualified as a nurse teacher in 1992 (PGDE/RNT), workingas a nurse lecturer at Bloomsbury College of Nursing & Midwifery, London (1992-1997)and as senior lecturer at Royal College of Nursing (RCN) Institute/ManchesterUniversity (1997-2001). Graduating with PhD Nursing in 2000, I worked as RA1 -3at University of Surrey (UoS) 2001-2011, Reader, 2011, then Clinical Professor,2012. Moved to the University of York, as Professor in Nursing 2013-2014, then MiddlesexUniversity (MDX), Professor of Nursing 2014. In 2023, I was awarded a Fellowshipof RCN (FRCN) in recognition of my lifetime contribution to understandingracism in nursing, and fertility nursing.

I most recently revalidatedwith the Nursing & Midwifery Council in 2023 (PIN 75Y1931E). I updated myclinical skills during the pandemic and trained as a vaccinator for the C19vaccination programme. I undertook management training while at UoS 2008-2012. Ihave undertaken PhD supervisor training at all three universities; mostrecently in 2024 at MDX.

Ireduced my hours in 2023 prior to retirement after (hopefully) seeing my last PhDstudent through to completion in 2027.I will have supervised through to completion 8-10 staff members (depending oncompletion) which will have significantly increased the number of potentiallyresearch active staff in nursing and midwifery at MDX.

Awards: 2006, Florence Nightingale TravelScholarship; Janet Hull/UCH Travel Scholarship; 2008-2011, personal award ofCentre for Education and Academic Development Scholar for FHMS, UoS; 2010, twotravel scholarships from Flinders University, Australia, Auckland University ofTechnology.

Inrecognition of my research, teaching and practice I was awarded FRCN andnominated for outstanding research supervisor (THE) 2021. These awardsrecognise my contribution to nursing and midwifery practice, teaching andresearch. Outputs recognised by these awards included:

Allan H T, Larsen JA, Smith PA,Bryan K (2003) We need respect. Report to RCN

Smith PA, Allan H T, Larsen, JA, Mackintosh MM, HenryL (2008) Valuing the talents of a diverse NHS workforce. Report to RCN

Allan[HA1]  HT (2009) Managingintimacy and emotions in advanced fertility care: the future of nursing andmidwifery roles. M&K Publishing

Allan H T, Mounce G (2023)Transition to Parenthood after IVF. Sage Pubs;

Allan HT, Traynor (2023)Racism in Nursing, Sage Pubs.

Thisrecognition is based on my research publications and teaching over 30 years of awide number of students both nationally and internationally, my methodologicalapproaches (collaboration, action research) and my ability to link theory andpractice meaningfully for nurses and midwives, no matter their level in theNHS, from students to chief nurses. Due to my reputation and distinguishedpublications record, I have been an external consulting member to: EU SubCommittee on Reproductive Technologies, Chair: M. Brazier, University ofManchester; Parliamentary Committee on Reproductive Technologies, 2006, ChairEric Bligh. In 2019 I became Chair of UCH London Nurses’ Charity, and work withUCLH Chief Nurse to promote learning through charity sponsorship across thetrust. My research has formed the basis for further academic workinternationally in the two fields of fertility nursing and racism in nursing asevidenced in the publications mentioned here, and in the work of successfulstudents.

External activities

  • Chair of Charity, UCH London Nurses Charity, 2019

    • Publications

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