Helen Fowler, Senior Lecturer in Clinical Skills and Simulation at Liverpool John Moores University, has been named the winner of the prestigious AfPP Novice Writer Award, in recognition of her first published article in the Journal of Perioperative Practice (JPP).
Launched in memory of David Pidduck, editor of the AfPP Newsletter from 2002 to 2004, the award celebrates new voices in perioperative writing. It encourages practitioners to share insights that can drive progress within the profession. Eligible authors must have had their debut article published in the JPP, AfPP’s highly respected official Journal, between January and December, with each entry being original, previously unpublished work.
Helen’s winning paper, titled ‘An examination of the literature surrounding leadership and change management to implement a Golden Theatre Initiative: Reducing inefficiencies within a neurosurgical operating department’, explores how theatre efficiency can be improved through practical, low-cost interventions. The paper was first released in JPP’s Online First in September 2024 and appeared in Volume 35, Issue 6. The open access article is available for all to read here.
A passion rooted in personal experience
Helen, who lives in Northwich with her husband and young son, came to nursing through an unexpected path. Originally pursuing a different field of study, Helen paused her education to move closer to home to be with family. With nursing deeply rooted in her family, her grandmother being a nurse and midwife and mother a theatre nurse in the department Helen commenced her journey in the perioperative world, Helen was inspired to follow the same path. She later began training as a nurse in the Lake District, alongside one of her sisters.
Her professional journey has included roles as a scrub nurse and specialist in neurosurgery at Aberdeen Royal Infirmary and later at The Walton Centre in Merseyside. With over a decade of theatre experience, including general, orthopaedic, obstetric, plastic and neurosurgical practice, Helen now combines clinical experience with academia. She continues to work bank shifts to stay clinically current while also developing simulation-based learning programmes for undergraduate and postgraduate nursing students.
A paper with purpose
The focus of Helen’s award-winning paper is timely and urgent. In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, NHS operating departments are under increasing pressure to reduce waiting lists and optimise surgical throughput. Her research explores the concept of a Golden Theatre Initiative, a strategy based on the principles of the Golden Patient Initiative, to minimise inefficiencies and improve the reliability of surgical start times.
Helen’s analysis outlines the leadership and change management principles required to drive such an initiative forward. She proposes that surgical teams could designate one theatre daily as a ‘Golden Theatre’, fully prepared, appropriately staffed, and dedicated to elective procedures with minimal risk of cancellation. This would involve patients being admitted the night before, thoroughly assessed and ready for surgery.
“Delays cause unnecessary stress to patients and staff,” Helen said. “Theatre inefficiencies are one of the biggest frustrations for managers. But we all have the ability to make change, the idea just needs to be raised, and then action can follow.”
Celebrating success
As the winner of the AfPP Novice Writer Award, Helen will be presented with her certificate and a copy of AfPP’s Standards and Recommendations for Safe Perioperative Practice at the AfPP Annual National Conference. She also receives an all-expenses-paid place at the Conference, where she will also co-lead a Simulation Workshop alongside a team of five colleagues.
Helen describes her AfPP membership as a vital professional resource throughout her career. “It’s a great community and network of like-minded people,” she said. “There are fabulous resources and events to enhance your clinical and academic practice. There is free student membership, I’d recommend it to anyone in perioperative practice.”
Looking ahead
Helen’s academic ambitions don’t stop here. Having completed a Master of Science in Advanced Surgical Practice from Cardiff University while working full-time and raising a child, she is now considering pursuing a PhD, and writing further papers. She remains a passionate advocate for evidence-based improvements to perioperative care and believes her work on the Golden Theatre Initiative could lead to significant quality improvements across the NHS.
Away from work, Helen is an energetic hockey player and mountain climber, known by friends and family for never staying still.
Her award-winning paper offers not just a fresh perspective on long-standing theatre challenges but also a model for change that could enhance patient care nationwide. It’s a remarkable achievement from a passionate practitioner who continues to blend clinical expertise with academic innovation.
Picture shows Helen.