Announcing her appointment, CEO Lorraine Sunduza said, “I am delighted that Claire has been appointed substantively as ELFT’s Chief Nurse. She will bring her signature leadership and wisdom to this role. Claire expects and delivers high standards, while bringing a deep understanding of the complexities of the situations that many of our staff work within, and exemplifying compassionate leadership.”
Claire has extensive nursing knowledge and experience acquired over a career of nearly 30 years at ELFT. For most of her early career, Claire specialised in Child and Adolescent Mental Health care, working her way up to being Service Manager and then Lead Nurse for the Coborn Centre for Adolescent Mental Health at the Trust. She extended her experience into adult services and became Lead Nurse at the Newham Centre for Mental Health. She then became Director of Nursing for Luton and Bedfordshire Mental Health Services.
Chief Nurse Claire McKenna said: "It is a real privilege to take on the role of Chief Nurse in a Trust where I have practiced as a nurse for 28 years. As nurses, we support people through their health journey, wherever it takes them. As I go around the Trust, I feel so proud to see this in action and the awareness our nurses have of this important responsibility.
I hope to bring more people into the profession to join us in this vital work. Alongside this, I want us always to be learning and refining what we do as nurses to be confident that we are providing optimum care and support to those who need us."
Claire commenced in her new role on 26 July 2024.