Georgina has over 20 years of experience in clinical practice, teaching and learning.
Georgina trained and served as a military nurse within the British Army, serving in mainland UK and on operational duties until 2004, when she moved to the NHS.
Georgina has held roles within the NHS such as community staff nurse, district nursing sister and modern matron, before coming into education in 2010. Georgina spent ten years at The University of Central Lancashire, most recently leading The Family, Community and Public Health portfolio, and has focused specifically on developing education in community and district nursing, as well as leg ulcer and lower limb care and management, whilst always maintaining an active role in clinical practice.
Georgina is registered as a community specialist practitioner and V300 non-medical prescriber with the Nursing and Midwifery Council and holds a master’s degree in education (MEd).
She is passionate about education as a foundation to support confident and competent clinical practice within the fields of tissue viability and lower limb care.
Beccy has over 25 years experience of working as an ANP in Lymphoedema and is a proud trustee of the BLS. She has recently joined Accelerate having previously been working in an acute NHS Trust for over 20 years.
Beccy has particular interests in Primary Lymphoedema and paediatrics. Cellulitis/Lower limb inflammation, lipoedema and lymphoedema secondary to cancer. Her breadth of managing people living with lymphoedema however extends to all types of swelling from any cause. Rebecca has managed the most complex cases and truly understands the devastating impact of living with lymphoedema.
She is a regular presenter in both national and international conferences and is on the editorial board for the Journal of Lymphoedema and the British Journal of Community Nursing’s Chronic Oedema supplement.
Fran works in a novel area of podiatry musculoskeletal practice with a unique focus on biomechanics and impaired mobility in patients living with lower extremity oedema and leg ulceration. Her clinical experience bridges the gap between podiatry, musculoskeletal care, wound care, and lymphology.
With nearly 20 years of experience across diverse clinical settings, Fran has made significant contributions both within the National Health Service and private practice. In the NHS, she has been integral to multidisciplinary teams spanning rheumatology, biomechanics, paediatrics, physiotherapy, and high-risk diabetic wound clinics. In private practice, she held senior leadership roles including CQC Manager, Surgical Services Manager, and Clinical Lead in Gait and Biomechanics at The London Podiatry Centre.
Academically, Fran holds a postgraduate MSc in Clinical Biomechanics from the University of Brighton and has published influential research in the Journal of Foot and Ankle Research (JFAR). She currently serves as Vice Chair of the British Lymphology Society Scientific Committee and as Associate Editor of JFAR.
Her research and teaching are driven by a passion for improving access to mobility and gait assessments for patients with wounds and lymphoedema. She champions a multidisciplinary approach, collaborating with nursing and allied health professionals to transform patient outcomes. Fran also plays a pivotal role in education, teaching on advanced modules at the Accelerate Academy which includes the Advanced Wound Healing (Level 7 University module), Sharp Debridement in Wound Management, Developing Skills in Leg Ulcer Management and the Advanced Practice in Lower Limb Ulceration.
Since qualifying as a registered nurse, Katy has worked in a variety of posts across both primary and secondary care. Her professional interests lie in the community setting, particularly general practice where she worked as a practice nurse for many years. After completing her specialist practitioner General Practice Nurse postgraduate diploma in 2007, she became a practice teacher and avid promoter of educational opportunities within practice nursing, focusing her master’s dissertation on the subject area.
Katy taught on the general practice nurse foundation course before taking up a full-time teaching post at the University of Central Lancashire in 2016.
Katy joined the RCN as a student nurse and became a member of the GPN forum committee in January 2017. She is a Queen’s Nurse and an active member of her local GPN forum. Katy has contributed to a chapter in the 3rd edition of The Textbook of Non-Medical Prescribing (Nuttall & Rutt-Howard, 2020) and has been published in several nursing journals. She is a member of the Association of General Practice Nurse Educators and a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy.
Fran has worked in wound care as a specialist nurse for 25 years, primarily within a community context. As part of the East London Wound Healing Centre, specific knowledge and expertise was gained in managing complex and hard to heal wounds with an increasing emphasis upon the lower limb.
This led to the development of the Accelerate strapping technique, an advanced compression skill. Fran was part of the team that spun out of the NHS in 2011 to form Accelerate CIC, an award-winning social enterprise dedicated to changing lives for people with wounds and lymphoedema. Within Accelerate she held the position of Clinical Director during a time of organisational growth and innovative practice. She has presented at conferences, written and co-authored numerous articles and contributed to best practice guidance.
Fran continues to work with Accelerate, primarily as an educator. She is an advocate of partnership working, both with patients and practitioners to challenge current practice, make a difference and explore how care can be delivered in new and innovative ways.