Jenny Hunt
Areas of Interest
Health CareHonorary Award
Honorary Doctor of Science, 2015Citation
Professor Jenny Hunt is an innovator, facilitator and leader in the field of nursing. A former Director at the Nursing Research Initiative for Scotland, she is Visiting Professor of Nursing within our Faculty of Health and Social Care.Jenny began her career in 1961 at Guy’s Hospital and qualifying as an S.R.N. in 1964. She consolidated her training by working part-time as a Staff Nurse at Bristol Royal Infirmary, while studying for a History Degree at Bristol University. In 1967, she graduated with a 2:1 and took up the role of Research Assistant at the Royal College of Nursing. In 1969 Jenny became a Research Fellow at University College Cardiff, then in 1970 completed her MPhil at the University of Surrey. From 1972-1974, Jenny was Nursing Careers Adviser at Addenbrooke’s Hospital in Cambridge. Her next move was to the role of Senior Nursing Officer for Research at The London Hospital, where she developed and implemented a nursing research programme.
Jenny’s career has been characterised by a strong commitment to ongoing professional development and education - her CV shows her practice and research careers progressing in parallel. With qualifications in subjects as diverse as French, History, Statistics and Management Development, she has enjoyed a well-rounded education and broad professional training that support the diverse challenges of a career in nursing.
In 1979 Jenny took over as Director of Nursing Research at the Royal Marsden Hospital in London. Then, in 1983, she was appointed Director of Nursing Services at the same institution. By the mid-1980s Jenny’s experience marked her out as one of the senior professionals in the nursing sector, and in 1987 she was appointed Nursing Officer at the Department of Health, charged with providing advice to Ministers and senior civil servants.
Jenny has served as the nurse member on a number of key national committees and organisations such as the Audit Commission and Commission of Human Medicines as well as numerous national and international nursing committees and groups. In 1989, she was appointed to the board of London’s Royal Brompton Hospital as Chief Nurse and Director of Quality Assurance and then in 1994, she became Director of the Nursing Research Initiative for Scotland, a post she would hold for five years until she became Visiting Professor at the University of Bedfordshire’s Institute of Health Research in 1999. And then in 2010, we were delighted to welcome her as Visiting Professor at our Faculty of Health and Social Care.
Jenny’s career has to date been hugely impressive. She developed and ran the first in-depth quality assurance programme for NHS staff. She established the Nursing Practice Committee which developed research-based policies and procedures. And crucially, she established a nursing voice on key national health committees. She has also won numerous grants for research projects into quality assurance and standards of care.
This Honorary Award is a fitting opportunity to recognise her achievements and her ongoing efforts to develop and promote nursing best-practice.