About Kayleigh Lavelle
I started my nursing degree in 2010 and have been a registered nurse since 2013. I have a diverse clinical background spanning acute, community, and primary care settings. I began my career within the NHS after being a final year management student on a hyper acute stroke ward and fell in love with the fast paced and complex dynamic role where no day was the same. It was here I developed from a nervous management student to a registered nurse, progressing to a sister and stroke specialist nurse. I developed expertise in managing patients with multiple comorbidities and complex needs within a fast-paced hospital ward that I triaged patient clinical need via a direct paramedic emergency phone, utilising clinical skills to determine suitability for direct admission pathways. Alongside managing staff and coordinating multidisciplinary teams managing both the acute admissions ward and long-term rehabilitation, I supported consultants with outpatient TIA clinics and the development of students and junior staff and clinical governance.
This role really strengthened me, challenged me and aided me to instill my core nursing transferable skills in competence, decision making, acute rapid assessment, clinical need and prioritisation, autonomy, contributed to efficient patient flow with direct admissions and bypass protocols, risk stratification and leading time-critical decision making in unpredictable high pressure and emergency environments.
I later transitioned into community as a band 7 senior clinical practitioner in South Tyneside and Sunderland Acute Care Team delivering rapid hospital avoidance, supporting local GP's, community matrons and paramedics to treat predominantly older house bound patients to aid prevention of unnecessary hospital admissions. Across both acute and community roles, I held leadership responsibilities, managing teams and coordinating care for patients with complex, multi-faceted health conditions.
I subsequently moved into primary care, working mainly as a Nurse Practitioner with acute patient clinics, but also supporting the nursing team with chronic long-term conditions. I was the lead learning disability nurse to help streamline the appointment times for this group of patients by carrying out both parts of the assessment to minimise them having to attend a second appointment with the GP. I have always loved to learn, and I completed my non-medical prescribing here at the University of Sunderland in 2019 whilst in clinical practice.
Alongside my NHS and academic roles, I also practice within aesthetic medicine. This work enables me to maintain advanced clinical skills in assessment, consultation, safe prescribing, and procedural practice, with a strong emphasis on patient safety, ethical decision-making, and evidence-based care. I have a particular interest in the governance, regulation, and education of aesthetic practice. I am particularly interested in supporting the development of safe, competent practitioners with knowledge of complications management which is unfortunately often under regulated within this rapidly evolving field of regenerative aesthetic medicine. In this role, I work alongside other aesthetic practitioners and a local GP.
Teaching and supervision
In 2021, I transitioned into higher education and joined the university, a move driven by my long-standing passion for teaching, learning and mentorship.
I am currently the Deputy Programme Leader for our Postgraduate Certificate in Enhanced Clinical Practitioner, which is a level 7 apprenticeship pathway both through the university pathway and our partnership with Northumbria Academy, where I teach a clinical skills module to a diverse range of allied health apprentices including nurses, paramedics, occupational therapists, physiotherapists and mental health practitioners.
I am deputy programme lead for our BSC Hons Nursing Top Up degree programme in Sri Lanka and have taught Managing and Effecting Change in Healthcare within our on-campus pathway.
Another large part of my role is a programme leader for a range of our postgraduate level 6 and level 7 primary care CPD short courses for registered nurse associates, registered nurses and nurse practitioners. I work alongside specialist respiratory nurses and local ICB managers and stakeholders to support ongoing collaboration and professional development for their employees working within primary care.
I teach across both home and international cohorts, and I am a strong advocate for fostering inclusion, belonging and support for both international and neurodivergent students. I am actively involved in Equality, diversity, intersectionality and inclusion initiatives within the university.
I hold a Postgraduate Certificate in Education and am a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy. I work as a personal academic tutor and dissertation supervisor supporting students throughout their academic journeys.
Interests
- Acute Medicine
- Social Inequalities
- Public Health
- Intersectionality
- Critical Thinking and Intersectional Pedagogy
- Neurodiversity
- Parentification and childhood development
- Neoliberalism
- Meritocracy and Oppression
- Social Class, access, opportunities and barriers
- Leadership and Management
- Patient Safety and Governance
Publications
See all of Kayleigh Lavelle's publicationsFurther information
I am currently undertaking an MSc in Inequality and Society, where I am developing a critical understanding of the structural and social determinants that influence inequality across health and education. My particular interests lie in health inequalities and the experiences of marginalised and underserved populations which align closely to the university's commitment to widening participation, social mobility and delivering an inclusive, career-focused educational experience.
My work adopts an intersectional approach, exploring how factors such as age, neurodiversity, socioeconomic background, educational experience, and mental health interact to shape access to opportunity and attainment. I am particularly interested in how systemic and institutional barriers impact both health outcomes and educational progression, and how these can be addressed through inclusive, student-centred and career focused approaches.
I have a passion for inclusive teaching pedagogy and curriculum design, with a focus on creating accessible and supportive learning environments that foster intersectional belonging, examining how institutional approaches can better support diverse student populations and reduce awarding gaps, and enable all students to achieve their full potential.
Through this work, I aim to bridge my clinical and educational experience, contributing to a deeper understanding of how inequality impacts patient care, professional practice, student learning and outcomes to improve patient care, and how these challenges can be addressed through informed reflexive practice, and inclusive approaches.