Elaine Smith, Nurse Consultant for Infection Prevention and Control
Elaine Smith is Nurse Consultant for Infection Prevention and Control at the Trust. In 2020, during International Year of the Nurse, she won the Trust’s Nurse of the Year award for her commitment and leadership during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Elaine is leading the Trust’s response to the Covid-19 pandemic on the ground. She’s worked for the Trust for 35 years, starting as a student nurse and working in a number of roles before her current one.
Elaine is leading has led the trust through the Covid-19 pandemic in her role as Nurse Consultant for Infection Prevention and Control. She has worked tirelessly to ensure staff and service users are safe throughout this difficult period where scrupulous infection control is paramount to all our safety.
“I’ve worked for the Trust for 35 years. I started my training here as a student nurse working my way up over 19 years, in women’s services at Broadmoor Hospital as a staff nurse, to a Team Leader, then a Clinical Nurse Manager and I’ve been in my current role of Nurse Consultant for 16 years.
My role is my make sure that any infection reported is managed effectively, to minimise the spread of infection, which can be quite challenging at times.
Communication is an important aspect of what I do to ensure that service users and staff fully understand the impact which certain infections can have and why different precautions have to be put in place.
During the pandemic, infection prevention and control has been at the forefront of tackling the virus. I’ve been advising staff and service users about Covid-19 and the precautions they need to take. I’ve helped to develop clear guidance for staff and service users and ensure that the Trust follows the correct guidelines.”
