News

Sheffield nurse's retirement marked with prestigious honour

A retired nurse from Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust has been awarded an honorary fellowship from the Royal College of Obstetricians & Gynaecologists (RCOG).

Joanne Fletcher, age 57, has been awarded the prestigious honour for her dedication to improving early pregnancy and gynaecological services not only in Sheffield but regionally, nationally and internationally.

The Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RCOG) works to improve women’s healthcare across the world. The fellowship is awarded to individuals outside of the medical field of obstetrics and gynaecology who have demonstrated major contributions and scientific advancements through research or clinical practice.

Joanne has dedicated an impressive 33 years of clinical service, specialising in abortion care and early pregnancy services and also has an extensive research portfolio in the field.

After qualifying as a registered nurse in 1988, Joanne began her career as a staff nurse in the Gynaecology Unit at Nether Edge Hospital. In 1993 she became the first Nurse Practitioner in the Trent Region, and the first to run an abortion service. She qualified as a sonographer in 1999, and shortly after was promoted to Clinical Nurse Specialist, managing early pregnancy services at the Royal Hallamshire Hospital. In 2005 Joanne was appointed to the post of Consultant Nurse Gynaecology, alongside holding Honorary lecturer posts at both Sheffield Universities, before retiring in 2021.

During her career, Joanne has made significant advancements to the services available to women in Sheffield, including spearheading the implementation of Manual Vacuum Aspiration (MVA) as a miscarriage and abortion option for women. She was the first nurse in the UK to train and perform MVA for post abortion treatment and miscarriage management. She has also used this expertise to support MVA procedure training courses for doctors and nurses locally and nationally at the RCOG .

Joanne has also been the NHS nurse expert on RCOG, Royal College of Nursing (RCN) & National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidelines in relation to abortion and early pregnancy problems. In 2015, Joanne became the co-founder and co-chair of British Society of Abortion Care Providers (BSACP) which has become nationally and internationally recognised for expertise in abortion care.

Joanne said : "I am humbled to have been awarded an honorary fellowship from the RCOG. I have always been given the autonomy and support to forge forward in my career pathway at Sheffield Teaching Hospitals. I’ve worked with some fantastic people throughout all disciplines, and made some life long friendships."

Dr Karen Selby, Consultant Obstetrician and Gynaecologist at Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust said: “I am absolutely delighted that Joanne is receiving this more than deserved recognition for all of the work she has done for women both locally and nationally during her career in Sheffield. Her passion for providing safe and accessible care has resulted in a legacy of services for patients, and support and training for staff.”