Chief nurse (acting) - Professor Jane Scattergood

Jane qualified as a registered nurse in 1990, a midwife in 1992 and a specialist community public health nurse (health visitor) in 2002. 

Jane became a visiting professor at Cumbria University in 2025 in recognition of her leadership and long-standing contribution to nursing and public health, both regionally and nationally.  

Jane was also awarded the title Queens Nurse in 2019 and is an Honorary Member of the Faculty of Public Health. She sat on the Fitness to Practise panel of the Nursing and Midwifery Council for two complete terms and was a standing member of the NICE Quality Standards Advisory Committee. Jane has a special interest in maximising the contribution of nursing, nurses as leaders, public health nursing and professional regulation and discipline.

Jane brings expertise in public health interventions for the population, particularly in the fields of maternity, early years and population screening programmes and has a special interest in quality assurance, quality improvement and demonstrating the impact of strategies and interventions. Jane is Chair of ICON, a charity and national programme to drive down the incidence of abusive head trauma in infancy.

Jane lives in South Cumbria and had worked clinically for many years in Barrow-in-Furness, in the community, in out of hours primary care and in acute care. Jane was a volunteer custody visitor at Barrow police station on behalf of the Police and Crime Commissioner for Cumbria and now chairs Cumbria Constabulary’s Community Scrutiny (Ethics and Integrity) Committee.