Staff Profile

Melanie Hayward staff profile photo

Melanie Hayward

MA Ed, PG Cert, BSc (Hons), DipHE, CertHE, RN (Child), RSN, SCPHN, V100 (CPNP), RNT (TCH), FHEA, FRSA

  • Associate Professor - Lead for Quality Assurance and Enhancement

College of Health and Society

Melanie Hayward

MA Ed, PG Cert, BSc (Hons), DipHE, CertHE, RN (Child), RSN, SCPHN, V100 (CPNP), RNT (TCH), FHEA, FRSA

  • Associate Professor - Lead for Quality Assurance and Enhancement

College of Health and Society
Contact melanie.hayward@bnu.ac.uk
ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0152-7686
Contact melanie.hayward@bnu.ac.uk
ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0152-7686
Biography

  • I am a globally award-winning pracademic whose career bridges clinical excellence, academic leadership and national influence. With over two decades of frontline and leadership experience in the NHS as a Children’s Nurse, SCPHN School Nurse and Safeguarding and nearly ten years in academia, I now serve as Associate Professor in Education and lead quality assurance and enhancement in the College of Health and Society.

    I believe that high-quality education is the foundation of high-quality care. My work embodies the pracademic ethos, where practice and pedagogy intersect to shape innovation, policy, professional standards and student success. I lead academic quality assurance and enhancement across health and social care programmes, with a particular focus on Professional, Statutory and Regulatory Body (PSRB) alignment, curriculum innovation and inclusive student support. I also contribute to national policy development through my role on the Council of Deans of Health Regulation Strategic Policy Group.

    Alongside my university role, I hold several national leadership positions including Chair of NASNA, and England Lead for CYPNAUK. I am actively engaged with national professional bodies and organisations, where I contribute as a recognised voice in child health, public health and safeguarding. I also co-founded Nurse Academics UK to support and connect nurse educators across the UK, fostering a national community of practice and scholarship.

    I also hold additional roles that reflect my commitment to staff and student wellbeing, including Mental Health First Aider, Domestic Abuse Champion, Mentor, Restorative Supervisor, Safeguarding Trainer and Supervisor and Nursing Now Ambassador.

    I identify as an Early Career Researcher due to my active involvement in national research, academic publishing, knowledge exchange and scholarly leadership. I have authored numerous papers, articles and book chapters, and in 2024 published my first textbook as sole editor Successful Studying for Nursing Students. I regularly write and contribute to national guidance, e-learning and academic discourse, such as the national Charter and Matrix for Enabling a Good Learning Environment (published iHV & SAPHNA, 2024) and the Transitional Safeguarding: Knowledge Briefing for health professionals (published by Research in Practice, 2023).

    My greatest accolades to date include multiple awards such as Most Inspiring Tutor (three consecutive years), Student Union Academic Partner of the Year, Vice-Chancellor’s Award and Colleague of the Year. I was also honoured with a global award for Outstanding Contribution to Nursing Education. I have been privileged to serve as Educational Advisor for the CYP Student Nurse Network, Subject Matter Expert for Safeguarding Children with Skills for Health, and Technical Advisor for the WHO Collaborating Centre for Public Health Nursing and Midwifery, providing leadership, expertise and sharing evidence-based practises on both national and international scales.

Course(s)
Teaching Team
BSc (Hons) Children's Nursing - Full Time
BSc (Hons) Physiotherapy - Full Time
MSc Physician Associate Studies - Full Time
MSc Physiotherapy (Pre-Registration) - Full Time
PGDip Specialist Community Public Health Nursing - Full Time
Qualifications

  • I hold several qualifications including, but not limited to, MA in Education, BSc (Hons) SCPHN and DipHE Children’s Nursing. I am a NMC registered Children’s Nurse, Specialist Community Public Health Nurse (School Nursing), Nurse Teacher and Community Practitioner Nurse Prescriber (V100).
Research Interests/Academic Interests

  • My areas of expertise and academic interest include public health nursing, child and adolescent health, safeguarding, clinical and educational leadership, and the use of social media in higher education. I am particularly interested in how these domains intersect to improve outcomes for vulnerable populations and enhance student engagement, retention and success through innovative, inclusive and evidence-informed educational strategies. I also have a strong interest in the genericism of pre-registration children’s nurse curricula and the development of compassionate, person-centred approaches to nurse education. A key focus of my current work is the enhancement of academic quality and alignment with PSRB standards across health and social care programmes, ensuring that curricula are not only compliant but also transformative, future-focused and responsive to the evolving needs of learners and service users.
External Positions/Memberships
    • Chair, National Association of School Nurse Academics (NASNA) https://saphna.co/about/partners/
    • England Lead, Children and Young People Nurse Academics UK (CYPNAUK) https://cypnauk.org.uk/
    • Consultant and Expert (Academic) Advisory Group Member - School and Public Health Nurses Association (SAPHNA) https://saphna.co/
    • Consultant Editor and Editorial Board Member Journal of Family and Child Health https://www.familyandchildhealth.com/
    • External Examiner, MSc/PG Dip SCPHN, University of Salford
    • External Examiner, Child Field Nursing University of West England (UWE)
    • Peer Reviewer for Comprehensive Child and Adolescent Nursing; Journal of Family and Child Health; British Journal of Nursing; British Journal of Nursing Management; Journal of Research in Nursing; Child Abuse Review; Greenwich Social Work Review.
    • Co-Founder and Curator, Nurse Academics UK (@NurseAcademicUK)
    • Member of the Royal College of Nursing (CYP, Education and Public Health forums)
    • Member of the International Network for Health Workforce Education
    • Member of the Council of Deans of Health Regulation Strategic Policy Group.
    • Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (FHEA)
    • Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts (FRSA)
Currently Supervising

  • Undergraduate and postgraduate students across the above disciplines.
Projects

  • In addition to the above, I am currently working on the Fit for Children & Young People (Fit4CYP) research project, which explores educational genericism and fitness to practise in children’s nursing, as well as contributing as a research advisory group member for the School-nursing in a Post-pandemic Landscape: Developing training materials for school nursing students around flexible modes of working with children and young people project. Additionally, I am the co-writer and current co-facilitator of the SAPHNA Leadership Course, a national programme designed to develop leadership capacity and confidence among school and public health nurses. This work reflects my commitment to advancing professional development and supporting the future leadership of the public health nursing workforce.
Research Repository

Improving school attendance through health support: A test-of-change project in a deprived Scottish primary school

February 2026
School attendance is a significant determinant of educational attainment and affects the health and wellbeing of children and young people (CYP) across the life course. Poor school attendance, especially when related to ill-health, is closely linked with reduced literacy and numeracy skills, which can negatively affect long-term health and employment outcomes for CYP. A test-of-change project was undertaken in collaboration with education services to identify CYP whose poor attendance was recorded as due to medical reasons and to explore whether health-led support could improve attendance. Some 30 CYP were identified, with 25 completing the 16-week project. Interventions included family contact, assessment of unmet health needs, signposting, and a CBT-informed anxiety-management programme. Results demonstrated a mean attendance improvement in 23 of 25 CYP, with average attendance rising from 74% to 80% (a 6% increase, equating to 18 additional hours in school over the course of 4 months). Common barriers identified included poor sleep hygiene, emotionally based school avoidance (EBSA) and challenges with family routines. This project suggests that early health intervention could address barriers to attendance, particularly in areas of deprivation where educational and health inequalities are more prevalent, promoting improved educational outcomes. This project is aligned with the Scottish Government's Getting it Right for Every Child framework, which promotes early intervention and holistic support. Although the sample size and scope of the study were limited, the results suggest that implementing a school nurse-led health approach to school attendance may improve academic outcomes for CYP. Additional research is required to assess the long-term impact and scalability of this project across a variety of schools.

Commentary: Seen, Secure and Supported—the role of school nurses in navigating childhood grief

February 2026

Building a cohesive future for school nursing across the UK: Strengthening the SCPHN profession

February 2026

Supporting student success in practice: A collaborative guide to the SCPHN school nurse proficiencies

January 2026
Melanie Hayward and Madeleine Jenkins salute what they believe to be a major milestone for the profession: the publication of a UK guide to school nurse proficiencies. It provides a shared national foundation for specialist community public health nurse school nurse education, one that is flexible, contemporary and grounded in real practice

“Brushing Up” The Dentist

November 2025

Successful Studying for Nursing Students

June 2024

Leadership and Management in Children and young people’s nursing

March 2024

Contributing to Personal, Social, Health and Economic education (PSHE)

October 2023

From vision to action

January 2026

The School Nurse’s Role in Safeguarding and Child Protection: The Same Yet Very Different’, in A School Nurse in Every School: School nurses’ positive impact in addressing health inequalities in children, young people, and their families

December 2024
he School Nurse’s Role in Safeguarding and Child Protection: The Same Yet Very Different This presentation explores the unique dual role of school nurses in safeguarding and child protection—a role that is both aligned with and distinct from traditional public health. Positioned at the intersection of health, education, and social care, school nurses are equipped not only to respond to immediate safeguarding needs but also to address broader social determinants through a preventative, upstream approach. Drawing from the latest findings in SAPHNA’s 2024 survey, this session highlights critical workforce challenges, including high caseloads and workforce shortages, which frequently shift school nurses from proactive health promotion to reactive crisis intervention. Key strategies for addressing these issues are discussed, with a focus on the 6 Ps framework (Protection, Prevention, Promotion, Provision, Participation, Partnership) and the unique value school nurses bring through their USPs of reach, range, and response. The presentation also outlines practical advocacy steps for school nurses, emphasising the need to engage with local policymakers, partner with communities, document successes, and promote evidence-based research to advocate for investment. Ultimately, the presentation underscores that investing in school nursing is an “investment to save”—a sustainable model that not only safeguards children but fosters healthier, more resilient communities.

Impact of NMC Future Nurse standards on Pre-registration Children’s Nursing programmes

June 2024
The aim of this cross-sectional survey was to investigate how the introduction of the NMC standards (2018) has impacted on the structure of pre-registration Children’s nursing programmes in the UK. The NMC database of approved nursing education programmes lists 160 Pre-registration Child nursing programmes available at 67 approved educational institutions in the UK. An online anonymous survey was designed to map out the current content of the programmes and the identify the level of change. Recruitment was carried out through email to every Programme/course or Professional/field lead, through social media platforms and the Children and Young people academic network. The survey recruited 54 Academics linked to 97 pre-registration children's nursing programmes representing all four countries in the UK. The results from this survey show that since the introduction of the NMC Standards (2018), 50% of the respondents (programme, field, or professional leads) reported that the theoretical content has changed. In particular, in over a third reported a decrease in child-specific content. Child field teaching methods accounted for less that 30% of all programmes whereas cross field teaching methods (Adult, Mental Health, Learning Disability and Child learners together), such as lectures, seminars, and clinical skills accounting for the remainder of the programme content. Thematic analysis of qualitative data identified three themes: genericism as the focus, the challenge to achieve standards of proficiency, and dilution of child specific content. The result show there are great disparities across the UK in how HEIs have interpreted the NMC standards and highlight academics concerns around the growing genericism within preregistration children’s nursing education nationally. These findings will form a basis for the next stage of the project comparing the impact of greater or lesser degrees of genericism on the outcomes of programme for newly qualified child health nurses.

Safeguarding children in cases of fabricated or induced illness: a health visiting perspective.

October 2023
Safeguarding is a key role within health visiting and is passed on to school nursing at the age of school entry. The face of child protection continues to develop and evolve, drawing in new facets that were relatively unknown. In today's safeguarding arena and in light of the growing number of reports and serious case reviews, identifying signs early and acting swiftly to support families and protect children is at the forefront of the practitioner's mind. Fabricated or exaggerated illness (FIll is not a new phenomenon, however it is often well hidden. Children under five are at increased risk of death or serious long-term physical or psychological harm from this form of abuse however it is often difficult to identify and address successfully. Parents are most commonly perceived as knowing their child best and practitioners only too willing to be complidt with this, thus many cases of FIl remain unidentified for many years. Evidence goes on to suggest that children raised as victims of this phenomena may become perpetrators and so the cycle increases as the generations pass therefore it is paramount that SCPHN practitioners need to be aware of the possibility of Fit know how to identify cases early, gather evidence effectively and proceed with referrals safely. This presentation aims to look at the practical aspects of identifying Fir and will explore policy and procedure in working with families experiencing FlI.

Social Media in Pre-Registration Nurse Education. In: Research and Innovations Supporting the Health and Social Care Workforce Lecture Series

October 2023
This lecture explores Melanie Hayward’s published study which delved into the experiences of student nurses (StNs) using social media (SoMe) for their studies. Four core themes will be discussed: 1. "Whole New World": SoMe fosters connections and community among StNs. 2. "Opening Doors": SoMe aids academic growth and career exploration. 3. "Own Space": StNs customize their SoMe feeds to support their identity and motivation. 4. "Supporting Self and Others": SoMe empowers StNs to find their voice, offer support, and build resilience on their journey. SoMe can enhance the student nurse experience, improve retention, and potentially aid recruitment. However, responsible SoMe use and e-professionalism guidelines are crucial. This research lays the groundwork for future exploration and urges educators and healthcare organizations to recognise SoMe's value in student nurse development.