Today, on International Nurses Day, we proudly celebrate the remarkable nurses of Innovate Care Group; our clinicians, educators, leaders, and innovators whose expertise shapes the lives of the people we support every single day.
Nursing in complex care is unlike any other field. It is highly specialised, deeply relational, and often not fully understood outside of our sector. While acute and community settings are more widely recognised, complex care occupies a unique and vital space between the two. It brings together the technical excellence of hospital-based practice with the continuity, independence, and person-centred focus of care delivered in the home and community.
Clinical excellence in action
Our nurses support children, young people, and adults with some of the most intricate and challenging health needs. This includes people requiring long-term ventilation, tracheostomy care, enteral feeding, seizure management, spinal injury support, and highly individualised clinical interventions. Yet the role extends far beyond clinical procedures. Complex care nursing is about understanding the whole person – their aspirations, routines, family dynamics, behaviours, and what matters most to them. It is about enabling people not simply to live safely, but to live fully.
This is what makes complex care nursing so extraordinary. It demands advanced clinical knowledge, exceptional critical thinking, emotional intelligence, adaptability, and unwavering professional judgement. Nurses in this field must be able to assess risk in dynamic home environments, respond to rapidly changing clinical presentations, lead multidisciplinary collaboration, and support families through some of the most significant moments of their lives. It is autonomous, highly skilled practice at its very best.
At Innovate, we understand that delivering exceptional complex care requires more than excellent frontline clinicians. It requires strong, visible, and expert nursing leadership. Leadership that not only sets standards, but actively shapes culture, drives innovation, strengthens governance, and ensures every member of our clinical workforce feels supported to excel, thrive and genuinely enjoy their job.
That leadership is embodied in our exceptional central clinical team.
Together, our nursing leaders bring more than 150 years of combined nursing expertise across adult and paediatric services. Their experience spans critical care, community nursing, neurological rehabilitation, children’s nursing, clinical governance, quality assurance, workforce development, education, commissioning, and executive leadership. This breadth and depth of knowledge is one of Innovate Care Group’s greatest strengths.
The people behind the care
Led by Frances Penny, our Chief Nursing Officer, our central clinical team provides the strategic vision and professional leadership that underpin our organisation. Fran’s career spans more than two decades and includes extensive expertise in critical care, neurosciences, complex case management, commissioning, and senior operational leadership. Her commitment to advancing excellence in complex care nursing is reflected throughout our organisation.
“Our service at Innovate brings problem-solving mindsets, a track record of success, and a deep understanding of the medicolegal and clinical complexities involved in managing high-acuity care outside of hospital settings. Our mission is simple: to collaborate with talented Care Professionals to deliver clinically led, high-quality holistic care that makes a tangible difference in people’s lives. Our experienced clinical team ensure that every care provision is tailored to the unique needs of each individual and collectively we are dedicated to our vision of transforming the standard of complex care.“
Alongside Fran is Michelle Waithe, our Clinical Services Director, whose extensive experience in adult nursing and clinical operations ensures that our services remain safe, effective, and responsive to the evolving needs of those we support.
“Working in complex care is incredibly meaningful because it’s about so much more than clinical support, it’s about building trust and helping people maintain their dignity, independence, and quality of life, even in the most challenging circumstances. I’m proud to be able to provide holistic, person-centred care, working closely with families and advocating for individuals to ensure their needs are always at the heart of every decision.
Strong governance plays a vital role in making this possible, giving us the structure, accountability, and consistency needed to deliver safe, high-quality care. It supports continuous learning, reflective practice, and helps us achieve the best outcomes for the people we support. For me personally, good leadership is about being supportive, approachable, and leading by example, creating an environment where teams feel valued, confident, and empowered to deliver the best care possible.
If I could share one message this International Nurses Day, it would be this: never underestimate the impact you make. Compassion, patience, and professionalism truly change lives, and even the smallest acts of care can leave a lasting difference.”
Also in the Senior Leadership Team is Louise Morris, our Head of Quality and Education, who brings a wealth of expertise in quality assurance, clinical governance, professional development, and education. Her leadership helps ensure that learning, reflection, and continuous improvement are embedded into every aspect of our practice.
“I love that complex care nursing always encourages us to always look for ways to do things better, not because we’re not doing well, but because we know we can always grow. At Innovate, we truly create a culture where improving and evolving are part of the everyday, not just something we focus on once in a while. In our field, it means using every incident or near-miss, every piece of feedback, and every challenge as an opportunity to elevate standards and outcomes. It fosters a culture where professional curiosity is encouraged, and this mindset not only drives better results for the organisation, but also empowers people to reach their full potential.”
Sam Alexander, Principal Growth Clinican, combines deep clinical insight with strategic service development, helping us expand and innovate while maintaining the highest standards of clinical integrity.
“What I find most rewarding about complex care nursing is seeing how far things have come…years ago, many of the individuals we support would have had very limited options, but now we can help people live safely at home with the right clinical support in place. I’m particularly interested in how advancements in technology are transforming care and improving quality of life. In my role, my approach leadership is about being hands-on and part of the solution, supporting teams on the ground, making clinical decisions, and helping services get up and running quickly and safely. It’s not about directing from a distance, it’s about being involved, understanding the challenges, and working alongside the team to deliver the best outcomes.”
Queency Neto, our Clinical Talent and Development Nurse, brings specialist paediatric expertise and a passion for nurturing the next generation of complex care clinicians. Her work is instrumental in developing confident, competent, and compassionate nursing professionals.
“Complex care nursing is incredibly rewarding because you’re supporting people to live their lives at home, in a way that’s meaningful to them. My journey from working in hospital settings into community care really opened my eyes to the difference we can make outside of clinical environments. Governance plays a key role in making that possible, through structured training, strong recruitment, and clear processes, we can ensure safe, high-quality care from the very start. In my current role at Innovate, I’m able to oversee how all these critical elements connect. Importantly, it’s also about communication and patience, working with families, teams, and stakeholders to build trust and get the best outcomes. Seeing a provision of care come together and knowing you’ve helped someone stay at home, rather than returning to hospital, is what makes it all worthwhile.”
Alina Gruia, Clinical Lead, offers extensive adult nursing expertise, providing hands-on clinical leadership, governance oversight, and support to our operational teams.
“What draws me to complex care nursing is how dynamic it is, no two days are the same, and there’s always a new challenge to work through. At Innovate, I enjoy being that bridge between the field and the wider organisation, bringing together different perspectives to find the best solution for each individual. A big part of any complex care nursing role is emotional intelligence, really listening, picking up on details, and building a full picture over time. Good governance absolutely gives us the structure to work safely, yet it’s the relationships and trust we build that make the difference. Likewise, strong leadership is about creating that trust, so teams feel supported, valued, and able to provide genuinely person-centred care.”
Elise Joske, Clinical Lead, brings invaluable dual-registration expertise in both adult and children’s nursing, enabling a uniquely holistic perspective across our diverse services and the individuals we support.
“What makes this role so meaningful to me is being able to truly advocate for the people we support, especially those who may not always be able to express their needs or wishes themselves the way that other people can. At Innovate, I work closely with families and the wider multidisciplinary teams to ensure care is always up to date, holistic, and centred around the individual. For me, it’s about giving people choice, building trust, and empowering both the client and the team supporting them. Strong governance underpins everything we do, but it’s important to strike the right balance, ensuring care is delivered safely while remaining flexible enough to adapt to each individual and their own home environment.
Good leadership to me is about being present and hands-on, supporting the team day-to-day, problem-solving together, and continuously learning so we can provide the best possible care. Having previously worked as a Support Worker, I understand firsthand the difference it makes to feel fully supported, and that’s something I always strive to create for others.”
Elysha (Ellie) Nicolaou, Clinical Lead, brings a wealth of paediatric knowledge and experience. As a qualified Children’s Nurse she holds previous experience in hospital settings – acute general children’s ward, A&E, Children’s Assessment unit and Elective Care, before moving into a Band 7 role as Ward Sister for Children’s Elective care and Outpatients. Now at Innovate, she provides extensive support to our clients and their families, alongside guidance and education for our care professionals, enabling them to maintain the highest standard of practice.
Together, this team provides far more than oversight. They are mentors, educators, innovators, and advocates. They shape clinical strategy, strengthen governance frameworks, drive quality improvement, champion evidence-based practice, and ensure our workforce is equipped to meet the increasingly complex needs of the people we support.
Their leadership enables our nurses and care professionals to deliver care that is not only clinically excellent, but also deeply compassionate, person-centred, and empowering. They ensure that innovation is balanced with safety, that autonomy is supported by governance, and that every decision is grounded in the best possible outcomes for the individuals and families we support.
Growing the next generation of complex care nurses
One of the greatest challenges within complex care nursing is the transition from expert clinician to confident clinical leader.
Many nurses join the complex care sector from highly acute NHS environments, particularly critical care, emergency medicine, and specialist wards, bringing with them exceptional technical skills and clinical expertise. Others progress from frontline community complex care roles with deep experience in delivering hands-on, person-centred support.
However, stepping into a Clinical Lead position requires an entirely different skill set.
At Innovate, we recognised that this transition can be incredibly challenging without the right support and structure. Too often within healthcare, nurses are expected to “step up” into leadership roles without being given the opportunity to gradually develop the operational, educational, and governance skills required to succeed.
That is why we have intentionally developed a clinical leadership pathway designed specifically for complex care nursing. Because strong leadership doesn’t happen overnight, it’s developed through experience, mentorship, and the right support.
From hands-on experience during service mobilisation, to developing governance knowledge, training teams, and eventually managing caseloads, our nurses are supported every step of the way.
At Innovate, we are deeply committed to nurturing the next generation of complex care leaders and creating opportunities for nurses not only to grow clinically, but to thrive professionally within a sector that demands extraordinary skill, compassion, and resilience. If you’re interested in finding out more about careers at Innovate, contact us on: [email protected].
A final thank you
On this International Nurses Day, we celebrate every nurse across Innovate Care Group. From those delivering expert care in people’s homes and communities, to those providing strategic leadership, education, and governance at organisational level, your contribution is immeasurable.
You are advancing our profession, redefining what exceptional complex care looks like, and transforming lives every single day.
Thank you for your expertise. Thank you for your leadership. Thank you for your compassion.
Happy International Nurses Day 2026!
