VANESSA ADAMS

Vanessa is a Registered General Nurse with extensive Adult, Paediatric and Neonatal experience in both the NHS and private healthcare sector in both clinical and managerial positions. She has worked as Lecturer for the University of East Anglia and in association with the University of Hertfordshire.

She began her career working in Primary Care as a Community Staff Nurse for Adult and Children's Community Health Care Services. She specialised in Care and Case Management and studied this as part of a post registration degree. She was integral in the development of community care, introducing professional development training for health care assistants and working alongside hospices to allow children to spend their final days at home with families.

​

Vanessa progressed to Senior Nurse within Accident and Emergency where she began to lecture in Nursing Practice for pre and post registration nursing and medical students. She specialised in emergency care, emergency surgery, patient stabilisation and orthopaedics for Adult and Paediatric Services, as well as advanced life support. These skills were also used to mentor nurses working for Center Parcs UK where she accepted an associate clinical advisory position.

 

After a transfer to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit to expand her own clinical skills, Vanessa accepted a promotion to Intensive Care Senior Sister at Great Ormond Street Hospital London, where whilst covering for matron duties and other executive management responsibilities, she went on to be part of the team that managed the Best Interest legal case for the family of Charlie Gard in 2017. She used these skills in an Executive position for The Royal Free NHS Foundation Trust in a dual role as Head of Education for Paediatric and Neonates and Clinical Change Lead Nurse for Women’s and Children's Services.

​

​After a locality change Vanessa accepted positions at Addenbrookes Hospital and as Nurse Specialist for a private neurological rehabilitation facility. During her time in the private sector she worked alongside case management, occupational therapy, speech and language therapists and psychologists in the management of children, young people, adults and their carers that had experienced trauma, and/or had learning or neurodiverse complications. During the COVID-19 pandemic Vanessa introduced online health care support for children, adults, parents and cares to enable supportive therapy to continue and managed infection control issues to enable urgent clinical assessment and necessary face to face therapy to be facilitated. She also used the time to update her own skills and knowledge studying in areas of Sensory Integration and Trauma management.

Vanessa has a specialised knowledge of clinical care delivery at all levels within both statutory and private health care service providers. She has a comprehensive understanding of nursing care and healthcare provision in primary, acute, emergency, intensive care, home care and private care facilities and has experience in report writing for NHS executive and non-executive management, clinical assessment and for use in legal proceedings. As part of her NHS role, she has managed issues of quality, written and published policy, managed risk and the investigation of health care related incidents. She is currently completing a Diploma in Medical Law and Ethics to complement her Expert Witness work.

 

Vanessa has been working as an independent nurse since 2021 and has accepted instructions from both Claimants and Defendants to prepare CPR Part 35 compliant Care and Care and Equipment Reports for both paediatric and adult cases together with participating in conferences and Joint Discussions.  She is also experienced in preparing loss of service and breach of duty reports. Vanessa has undertaken comprehensive CPR Part 35 training, attends regular expert witness CPD training and understands the competencies required of her and her overriding duty to the Court.