Karen Goudie has been appointed as the new chief of nursing services at University Hospital Monklands.

Most recently Karen was the nurse consultant for older people in acute care leading front door services and advanced practice in NHS Fife. She is also the national clinical lead for Excellence in Care and latterly Improving Care for Older People in Acute Care (OPAC) for Healthcare Improvement Scotland (HIS).

Karen said: “I have met some of the team at Monklands already and have worked with nursing colleague across Lanarkshire as part of my national role. I know first-hand how dedicated they are to provide the highest standard of care and to continuous improvement and I can’t wait to get started.”

Karen’s career has spanned medical intensive and coronary care before she became a liaison cardiac nurse, and then an advanced nurse practitioner in  Hospital at Night and acute care.

In her national role, Karen has help design two prominent national resources ‘think frailty’ and ‘think delirium’ to reduce variation in care across acute hospitals in NHS Scotland.

Frances Dodd, acute divisional nurse director, said: “Karen brings a wealth of experience with her and we look forward to working with her.

“Karen has led on the design and direction of the National Programme in partnership with clinical experts throughout NHS Scotland to produce a robust package of solutions that ensures the coordination of care for older people. She will be a terrific addition to the Monklands team and NHS Lanarkshire as a whole.”