Ainna Fawcett-Henesy facts for kids
Ainna Fawcett-Hennesey is an Irish nurse. She is a special member, called a Fellow, of the Royal College of Nursing in the UK. This college is a big organization for nurses.
Becoming a Nurse
Ainna was born in Limerick, Ireland, in 1946. She finished high school at Scoil Carmel. After school, she was offered a job at a hospital in Limerick.
But Ainna decided to travel to Coventry in England. There, she started her training to become a nurse. Early on, she worked with a senior health visitor. This experience made her want to become a public health nurse. These nurses help people in their communities. She finished her nursing studies at the Royal College of Nursing.
Helping Communities as a Nurse
Ainna Fawcett-Hennesey started working as a public health nurse in the 1960s.
By 1986, she had some big ideas. She thought nurses should be able to prescribe some medicines. She also thought about "quality circles." These are groups that work to make things better. She saw how much nurse practitioners could help in local healthcare. She even created a training program for them at the Royal College of Nursing.
Even with some challenges, she put her ideas into action. This happened in Ealing and South East Thames in London. Her ideas were shared with a special review called the Cumberlege Review. They helped shape its final report in 1987.
In 1988, she became a main advisor for local healthcare at the Royal College of Nursing. She also became the Chief Nurse at Ealing Health Authority. Later, she was a top nurse and director for quality at South East Thames Regional Health Authority. She also worked part-time for the Department of Health. There, she helped with changes to London's healthcare system.
In 1995, she moved to the World Health Organization (WHO). The WHO is a global group that works on health. She became the main advisor for nursing and midwifery in Europe. While at the WHO, she played a key part in improving health systems.
From 2001, she spent ten years in Copenhagen with the WHO. She helped create a plan for nursing and midwifery education in Europe. She also started research on how family health nurses could help. She organized the first ever meeting of European ministers on nursing for the WHO.
In 2005, Ainna had to retire early because she was diagnosed with breast cancer. Her treatment went well, and she got better.
Life After Nursing
Ainna Fawcett-Hennesey is married to Clive. They do not have children.
After she retired, Ainna returned to Ireland.
In 2015, she went back to school. She studied Creative Writing at the University of Limerick. She earned her master's degree in this subject.
Awards and Recognition
In 2004, Ainna was made a Fellow of the Royal College of Nursing. This is a high honor for nurses.
In 2018, the Nursing Standard magazine named her. This was on the 70th anniversary of the NHS (National Health Service in the UK). She was named one of the 70 most important nurses who helped shape the NHS.
