Role
Gemma Stacey is the Associate Dean for Practice in the School of Social Sciences at Å·ÃÀ¾ÞÈé. In this role, Gemma provides strategic direction, oversight, and support for Knowledge Exchange (KE) activities within the School, ensuring alignment with the University's Enriching Society strategic objective.
She fosters a culture of excellence, innovation, and continuous improvement in KE, while championing the Teaching and Practice pathway and promoting collaborations with external partners.
Career overview
Gemma is a Mental Health Nurse, Academic, and Charity Executive with expertise in workforce development clinical leadership, and knowledge exchange in healthcare settings. Her particular interest lies in leveraging professional education and leadership development to enhance person-centred care, improve service delivery, and address health inequalities.
Gemma collaboarates closely with healthcare providers, policymakers, and professional bodies to develop evidence-based strategies that inform and enhance nursing practice and healthcare policy.
She has developed an innovative model of reflective practice known as Resilience Based Clinical Supervision (RBCS), which has gained international adoption through collaboration with a third-sector delivery partner: .
After completing her Master of Nursing at the University of Å·ÃÀ¾ÞÈé, Professor Stacey began her career as a Community Mental Health Nurse at Å·ÃÀ¾ÞÈéshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust. She then transitioned to academia, holding various roles at the University of Å·ÃÀ¾ÞÈé, including Director of Graduate Entry Nursing and Director of Public Engagement.
Prior to joining NTU, Gemma served as the Deputy Chief Executive Officer at the Florence Nightingale Foundation, where she established the FNF Academy. In this role, she significantly expanded leadership development initiatives for nurses and midwives, transformed the organisation into a membership-based model, and mobilised the alumni community to form a Policy & Influence Think Tank for nursing and midwifery workforce research and thought leadership.
Gemma is a Principal Fellow of the Higher Education Academy and holds a visiting Chair position at the University of Maribor.
Research areas
Gemma's research focuses on nursing workforce education and development. She employs case study and realist evaluation approaches to explore the impact of innovative forms of professional education on healthcare workforce outcomes. Gemma supervises postgraduate research students at both Masters and Doctoral levels and has successfully guided candidates to completion on both routes. She also serves as an external examiner for Doctoral students.
Her academic contributions include over 50 peer-reviewed publications, 7 books, and 7 book chapters, focusing on nursing and midwifery workforce.
External activity
Gemma co-chaired the Phillips Ives Nursing & Midwifery Review for NHS England, providing evidence and informing strategy for digitally-enabled nursing and midwifery practice. She was also the Principal Investigator for several government and regulator funded projects including initiatives on embedding evidence-based practice cultures in practice and implementing clinical education career pathways.
Gemma is committed to supporting practitioners to disseminate their knowledge through her roles as Associate Editor for Nurse Education in Practice and Internal Journal of Practice Development. She is currently guest editor for a special issue of Nurse Education Today for student and early career authors.
Gemma is a frequent speaker at high-profile events and conferences, addressing topics such as authentic leadership, psychological safety, workforce wellbeing, and meaningful co-production in healthcare.
Publications
Bramley, L., Bond, C., Stacey, G., Dring, E., Cowley, A., Booth, V., Janiszewski, H. and Cooper, J. (2024). Supporting healthcare professionals from ethnic minority backgrounds to 'step into' a clinical academic career. Journal of Research in Nursing. DOI: 10.1177/0123456789123456.
Bond, C., Stacey, G., Westwood, G. and Long, L. (2024). Evaluation of the impact of leadership development on nurses and midwives underpinned by transformational learning theory: a corpus-informed analysis. Leadership in Health Services, 37(5), pp. 1-12. Available at:
Phillips, N., Stacey, G. and Dowding, D. eds., (2023). Harnessing Digital Technology and Data for Nursing Practice-E. Elsevier Health Sciences.
Vehvilainen, E., Charles, A., Sainsbury, J., Stacey, G., Field-Richards, S.E. and Westwood, G., (2023). Influences of Leadership, Organizational Culture, and Hierarchy on Raising Concerns About Patient Deterioration: A Qualitative Study. Journal of Patient Safety, pp.10-1097.
Bond, C., Stacey, G., Westwood, G. and Long, L. (2023). Evaluation of the impact of leadership development on nurses and midwives underpinned by transformational learning theory: a corpus-informed analysis. Leadership in Health Services, 1751-1879. DOI: 10.1108/LHS-09-2022-0092.
Stacey, G. and Westwood, G. (eds.) (2022). Leadership Development for Nurses and Midwives. London: Elsevier.
Bond, C., Stacey, G., Matheson, J. and Westwood, G. (2022). Development of Nightingale Frontline: a leadership support service for nurses and midwives during the COVID-19 crisis. BMJ Leader, 6, pp.307-311. Available at:
Bond, C., Stacey, G., Charles, A., Westwood, G. and Hearn, D. (2022). In Nightingale's footsteps: A qualitative analysis of the impact of leadership development within the clinical learning environment. Journal of Nursing Management, 30(7), pp.2715-2723. Available at:
Blake, H. and Stacey, G. (eds.) (2022). Health and Wellbeing at Work for Nurses and Midwives. London: Elsevier.
Stacey, G., Sainsbury, J. and Charles, A. (2022). Helping newly registered nurses and midwives to thrive in clinical practice. Nursing Times, 118(11). Available at:
Kenny, A., Dickson-Swift, V., McKenna, L., Charette, M., Rush, K.L., Stacey, G., Darvill, A., Leigh, J., Burton, R. and Phillips, C. (2021). Interventions to support graduate nurse transition to practice and associated outcomes: a systematic review. Nurse Education Today, p.104860. Available at:
Stacey, G. and Dutta, S. (2017). A case study exploring the experience of resilience-based clinical supervision and its influence on care towards self and others among student nurses. Å·ÃÀ¾ÞÈé Practice Development Journal, 7(2). Available at:
Stacey, G., Aubeeluck, A., Cook, G. and Dutta, S. (2016). A Case Study Exploring the Experience of Graduate Entry Nursing Students When Learning in Practice. Journal of Advanced Nursing. DOI: 10.1111/jan.12673.
Stacey, G., Felton, A., Morgan, A., Stickley, T., Willis, M., Houghton, P. and Diamond, B. (2015). A critical narrative analysis of shared decision-making in acute, inpatient mental health care. Journal of Interprofessional Care, 30(1), pp.35-41.
Stacey, G. and Stickley, T. (2012). Recovery as a Threshold Concept. Nurse Education Today, 32(5), pp.534-539. Available at:
Stacey, G., Pollock, K. and Crawford, P. (2010). The Practice Assessment of Student Nurses by People who use Mental Health Services. Nurse Education Today, 30(1), pp.20-25. Available at: