Dr Gregory Bleakley RN, D.Prof, PGCertEd, BSc (Hons), DipN, Adv.Cert (Critical Care), RNT, FHEA

Overview

Doctor of Nursing

Lecturer in Adult Nursing 

Registered Nurse (Adult) and Registered Nurse Teacher 

Unit Leader - Developing Independent Learning for Practice (DILP) - Year 2 

Bachelor of Nursing - BNURS (Hons) Dissertation Supervisor 

MSc Level 7 Supervisor 

PhD Academic Advisor 

Biography

My career in nursing started in 1996 as a student nurse, graduating in 1999 with a Diploma in Nursing. Clinically, I worked in acute areas of nursing including accident and emergency (ED) and critical care. I worked my way up to Charge Nurse in Intensive Care and developed an interest in organ donation and transplantation.

In January 2007, I was successfully appointed as a Band 8a Regional Donor Transplant Co-ordinator for the North West region based at Manchester Royal Infirmary. Initially, this was a dual role involving the care of patients on the waiting list for kidney / pancreas transplant. As a specialist nurse – organ donation, my role was to provide a high standard of end of life care to patients and their families. I was trained to facilitate all aspects of the organ donation process from advanced consent / communication, management of the patient in critical care and assisting with the organ retrieval in the operating theatre. As a nurse academic I continue with my interest in organ donation and transplantation through the production of peer reviewed academic / scholarly articles. 

During my nursing career in organ donation and transplantation, I worked with dynamic and caring professionals. I held the position of Education Lead for an 18 month period with the North West Organ Donation team, was the associate lead for the North West National Organ Retrieval Service, and held the position of reviewer for the Scientific Review Board (screening applications from scientists / companies requesting access to human tissue for their projects). During this time, I produced a peer reviewed scholarly article which focused on triggers for organ donation for critical care staff and presented the initiative at international organ donation congress in Berlin, Germany.  I started in my doctorate whilst in clinical practice during 2012. I successfully completed my doctorate in nursing in June 2018. The doctoral research focused on critical care staff experiences of approaching relatives for organ donation. The D.Prof thesis was supervised by Dr Michelle Howarth and Professor Martin Johnson (University of Salford) and examined by Dr Gaynor Bagnall (University of Salford) and Professor Robert McSherry (external). 

I was appointed as a lecturer in adult nursing with the University of Manchester in March 2016. I teach predominantly on undergraduate units of study on the BNURS (Hons) programme. Additionally, I enact the role of academic advisor, BNURS / MSc dissertation supervisor and support the BNURS admissions and recruitment team. I am a registered nurse teacher, Fellow of the Higher Education Academy and hold a post graduate certificate in medical and health education. 

I am the External Examiner for the CPS/PgCert Critical Care - Greater Manchester Critical Care Network and CPS/PgCert Critical Care Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust (Manchester Metropolitan University). 

I remain in clinical practice as a Registered Nurse in Critical Care. 

Social responsibility

As at Feb 2020, 6,138 patients were on the active transplant waiting list with a further 3,484 patients temporarily suspended from the transplant waiting list. Many of these patients have to wait for months, even years, for their life saving transplant. Sadly, around 1000 patients on the waiting list die every year because no suitable organ donor was identified. Organ donation saves lives. It relies on the altruistic generosity of the organ donor and the courageous decision made by their relative / carer at an incredibly sad and difficult time. Furthermore, nurses need to embrace organ and tissue donation as a normal part of end of life care. Equally, it is important for nursing students to consider organ donation and challenge personal belief and assumptions. Dr Bleakley intends to encourage discussion and debate on this subject across under / post graduate units of study, thus allowing students to assimilate knowledge and consider academic evidence to better inform nursing practice. 

Qualifications

Academic Qualifications:

Doctor of Nursing (D.Prof)

Post Graduate Certificate in Medical and Health Education (PGCertEd - University of Manchester) 

Bachelor of Science BSc (Hons) - Professional Practice in Adult Nursing 

University Advanced Certificate in Critical Care Nursing (awarded with distinction) 

Diploma in Nursing 

Professional Qualifications:

Registered Nurse (Adult Nursing) - continuous since 1999

Registered Nurse Teacher - NMC recordable qualification 

Fellow of the Higher Education Academy 

ENB 998 - Teaching and Assessing in Clinical Practice 

City and Guilds 7307 (Stage 1) - The Further and Adult Education Teachers Certificate 

Advanced Level Apprenticeship in Leadership and Management (Institute of Leadership and Management - ILM) 

Certificate in Leadership (ILM)

Certificate in Management (ILM) 

Emergency Nurse Triage (ALS Group) 

Previous Advanced Life Support (ALS) provider - Instructor Potential 

Memberships of committees and professional bodies

• Member of the Royal College of Nursing
• Member of the Faculty Fitness to Practice (FFTP) Committee 
• Member of the RCN Education Forum (voting member) since 2011
• Member of the RCN Critical Care and In-Flight Forum 
• Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (FHEA - PR178554)
• Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) Registrant (Nurse / Teacher)

Further information

Previous nursing roles:

Lecturer in Adult Nursing

University of Manchester

2016 - present 

Senior Lecturer in Nursing           

University of Bolton

April 2015 – Jan 2016

Donor Transplant Co-ordinator / Specialist Nurse Organ Donation (Band 8a)

NHS Blood and Transplant

Critical Care Unit – Manchester Royal Infirmary

Paediatric Intensive Care Unit – Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital

January 2007 – April 2015

Charge Nurse ICU

Critical Care Unit - Fairfield General Hospital

July 2005 – Jan 2007

Senior Staff Nurse E Grade

Intensive Therapy Unit – Blackburn Royal Infirmary

June 2003 – July 2005

Senior Staff Nurse E Grade

Intensive Care / High Dependency Unit – Fairfield General Hospital

2001 – 2003

Staff Nurse D Grade

Accident and Emergency Department – Bury General Hospital

2000 – 2001

Staff Nurse D Grade

Orthopaedic Unit – Fairfield General Hospital

1999 – 2000

Student Nurse

University of Salford

1996 - 1999