Bernadette Porter is an alumnus of the NHS Innovation Accelerator Programme and a current NHS Clinical Entrepreneur Fellow. She is the Founder and CEO of NeuroResponse® – a digital care model co-designed with patients and families to improve quality of life for people living with long term neurological conditions.
Bernadette has worked in the world of neurology for over twenty-five years. She is an Honorary Consultant Nurse in Multiple Sclerosis at The National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery, UCLH NHS Foundation Trust and The Royal Free Foundation Trust. Bernadette has published widely and has a track record of successfully and collaboratively challenging multidisciplinary teams to deliver patient focused care. She is actively involved in service design and patient focused research agendas. Bernadette has received many awards including an MBE for services to nursing, the inaugural HSJ top 50 NHS Innovators List and E health Nurse for the UK in 2014.
Under Bernadette’s leadership, NeuroResponse® has grown to support patients living with long term neurological conditions, by providing an anticipatory care plan (via secure online portal) and QR-coded urine kits with a home-collection service and courier to a pathology lab, which is integrated to an NHS 111 urgent care centre with trained clinicians on hand 24/7 The GPs are able to review results and e-prescribe personalised antibiotics & follow up patients linking to neurology colleagues as required.
When Covid-19 severely impacted the ability of neurology centres to offer blood monitoring routines, Bernadette answered the call by rapidly designing and delivering the NeuroResponse @Home blood pathology service which has a Covid-tested and PPE-equipped phlebotomist visit the patients home and deliver the sample to the laboratory, which is sent on to the neurology centre next day.
The service has been shortlisted for a Nursing Times 2020 Award (Managing Long-term conditions). NeuroResponse® have produced a video to explain how the service and Bernadette has written a blog to explain how it was set up.
‘The CEP programme is a fantastic opportunity to learn in a wonderfully supportive environment. I have been given many opportunities to grow, gaining many new skills and colleagues along the way. To have a programme that truly values clinicians as innovators is priceless – don’t hesitate – apply now!’
BERNADETTE PORTER –NHS CLINICAL ENTREPRENEUR, HONORARY CONSULTANT NURSE AND FOUNDER AND CEO OF NEURORESPONSE
Bernadette is thoroughly enjoying the Clinical Entrepreneur programme, in particular the opportunity to discuss ideas with like-minded clinicians who are close to the problems and have innovative solutions.