Dr Nicola Thomas
Nicola Thomas is Senior Lecturer at City University London and a Registered General Nurse with a specialist interest in chronic kidney disease.
Senior Lecturer
Qualifications
RGN, ENB 136 (renal course), BSc (Hons), PG Diploma (Education), MA, PhD.
Career summary
Nicola is a Registered General Nurse with a specialist interest in chronic kidney disease.
She has been a renal nurse since 1982, and has worked in a number of renal units in London. She joined the School of Nursing and Midwifery in the early 1990’s when she mostly taught courses in renal and diabetes care.
From 2003-2006 she had a secondment to the SW Thames Renal and Transplantation Unit at St. Helier Hospital, Carshalton, Surrey, where she was employed as the Lead Nurse for Research.
She works at City University London two days per week.
Research
She currently works two days per week on a secondment to Kidney Research UK, and is the project co-ordinator for the Health Foundation funded 'Quality Improvement in CKD' study. She is also part of a quality improvement team that has been awarded an additional grant by the Health Foundation to work on a project called ENABLE-CKD.
Nicki teaches in the School two days per week, mostly around the topic areas of kidney disease and diabetes.
Projects
- Member of RIXG: Updating information on kidney disease for NHS Choices
http://www.nhs.uk/conditions/Kidney-disease-chronic/Pages/Introduction.aspx - Filmed for British Renal Society/Kidney Research UK film for people with chronic kidney disease http://kidneyresearchuk.org/content/view/444/596/
- Contributed to National Library for Health Specialist Library Renal Week http://www.library.nhs.uk/kidney/
- Contributed to NICE guideline development group (deputy) for CKD
http://www.nice.org.uk/CG73 - Chair of CKD Forum: Developing on-line modules on CKD in collaboration with OCB Media www.ocbmedia.com. In 2009 the CKD Forum won third place in the British Journal of Renal Medicine Innovation awards.
Research interests
Nicki's current research focused on the care and management of patients with diabetic renal disease in primary care. She collaborated with six GP surgeries in SW London to develop and test a self-management programme for patients with early kidney disease.
She was the first recipient of the joint Kidney Research UK/British Renal Society Fellowship, which was awarded in 2004. She was awarded the Fellowship again in 2006. http://kidneyresearchuk.org/content/view/394/539/
Teaching
- Chronic kidney disease, hypertension, diabetes
- Patient education, self-management, empowerment
- Long-term conditions
- Research methods
National/international & scholarly activities
- Chair of the national Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) Forum, a working group of the British Renal Society http://www.britishrenal.org/CKD/ckdforum.shtml
- Member of the British Renal Society Council
- Member of the UK Renal Registry committee www.renalreg.com
- Member of the Renal Information Exchange Group http://www.renal.org/rixg/
- Volunteer for the European Dialysis and Transplant Association Nurses Association/European Renal Care Association (EDTNA/ERCA) since 1990 and was an elected Executive Committee member (1999-2002), and President of the Association (2000-2001) http://www.edtnaerca.org/
- Member of the EDTNA/ERCA Journal Advisory Board and advisor to the Executive Committee.
- She is a member of the Editorial Board of the Sociedad Espanola de Enfermeria Nefrologica (Spanish Nephrology Journal)
Recent publications
- Thomas, N (2009) Management of chronic kidney disease in primary care. Nursing in Practice, November/December 2009.
- Jain, N, Thomas, N and Bridger, J (2009) Quality improvement in chronic kidney disease in primary care. Journal of Renal Nursing, 1, 4, 162-5.
- Thomas, N (2009) Identification and management of chronic kidney disease. Journal of Renal Nursing, 1, 2, 13-16.
- Thomas, N and Wild, J (2009) Education and Training in Peritoneal Dialysis in Peritoneal Dialysis Handbook, EDTNA/ERCA, Switzerland.
- Thomas, N (2009) Diabetes and Chronic Kidney Disease: what does the new NICE guidance say? Journal of Diabetes Nursing, 13, 4, 126-136.
- Thomas, N and John, I (2009) What works: an online CKD module for primary care. British Journal of Renal Medicine, 14, 1, 5.
- de Lusignan S, Chan T, Gallagher H, van Vlymen J, Thomas N, Jain N, Tahir A, Nation M, Moore J, Reid F, Hague N and Harris K. (2009) Chronic Kidney Disease management in southeast England: a preliminary cross-sectional report from the QI-CKD – Quality Improvement in Chronic Kidney Disease study. Primary Care Cardiovascular Journal, Special Issue, CKD. 33-39.
- Thomas, N (2009) Chronic Kidney Disease – promoting self-management. British Journal of Primary Care Nursing. Special issue, CKD. 34-35.
- Thomas, N (2009) Patient information leaflet. British Journal of Primary Care Nursing. Special issue, CKD. p.36.
- de Lusignan S, Gallagher H, Chan T, Thomas N, van Vlymen J, Nation M, Jain N, Tahir A, du Bois E, Crinson I, Hague N, Reid F, Harris K. (2009) The QICKd study protocol: a cluster randomised trial to compare quality improvement interventions to lower systolic BP in chronic kidney disease (CKD) in primary care [ISRCTN56023731]. Implementation Science, 4, 39.
- Thomas, N, Bryar, R and Makanjuola, D (2008) Development of a self-management package for people with diabetes at risk of chronic kidney disease Journal of Renal Care, September 2008
- Thomas, N (ed) (2008) Renal Nursing (3rd ed.) Elsevier, Edinburgh ISBN: 978 0-7020-2839-7
- Thomas, N (2007) Recent developments in the care and management of Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD). Primary Health Care, 17, 6, 41-45.
- Thomas N and Gallagher H (2007) The diagnosis and management of Chronic Kidney Disease. Practice Nurse, 33, 1, 12-16.
- Thomas, N (2006) Chapter 37 'Nephrology Nursing: A Global Perspective' in Molzahn, A (2006) Contemporary Nephrology Nursing. American Nephrology Nurses Association.
- Thomas, N et al (2006) Implementation of the National Service Framework for renal services (Part Two): managing chronic kidney disease (CKD) in the community. Br J Renal Medicine, 11, 1, 26-28
- Thomas, N (2005) Can we delay the progression of CKD by improving collaboration between renal units and primary care teams? EDTNA-ERCA Journal, XXXI (4) 178-181
- Thomas, N. (ed.) (2004) Advanced Renal Care. Oxford, Blackwell Publishing. ISBN 1-4051-0933-5
- Thomas, N (2004) Care and management of diabetic nephropathy (moderate to advanced renal involvement). EDTNA/ERCA Journal, XXX (3) 120-3
- Thomas, N. (2004) Renal nursing research, evidence-based practice and education: a European perspective. NT Research. 9(5) 334-45.
- Thomas, N (2004) Collaboration between hospital and primary care can improve the management of diabetic nephropathy, Br J Diabetes and Vascular Disease, 4, 3, 202-204.
- Thomas, N., Kuentzle, W. and McCann M (eds.) (2004) (2nd ed.) European Core Curriculum for a Post-Basic Course in Nephrology Nursing. European Dialysis and Transplant Nurses Association/European Renal Care Association.
Recent conference contributions
- Health in Transition, Adelaide, Australia, August 2009, oral presentation
- European Dialysis and Transplant Nurses Association, Prague September 2008, guest speaker
- World Congress for Nephrology Nursing, Rio de Janeiro, April 2007, guest speaker
- Society of Academic Primary Care, London, July 2007, workshop facilitator
- British Renal Society, Birmingham, June 2007, oral presentation
- World Kidney Day, House of Lords, March 2007 oral presentation
- Kidney Research UK Fellows Day, London, October 2006, oral presentation
- British Renal Society/Renal Association, Harrogate, May 2006, two oral presentations
- Irish Nephrology Nurses Association, Dublin, March 2006, guest speaker
- Kidney Research UK, London October 2005, video presentation (interview with Lawrence McGinty)
- Renal Association CKD meeting, London October 2005, oral presentation
- British Renal Society, Manchester, June 2005, two guest speaker presentations
- Kidney Research UK Fellows Day, Belfast, April 2005, oral presentation
- Renal Association, Belfast, April 2005, poster
- RCN Nephrology Nurse Forum conference, Birmingham, Feb 2005, guest speaker
- EDTNA/ERCA, Geneva, Sept 2004, guest speaker
- International Society Peritoneal Dialysis, Amsterdam, August 2004, guest speaker
Membership of professional bodies
- Diabetes UK
- RCN Nephrology Forum
- Renal Association
- Royal College of Nursing
- European Dialysis and Transplant Nurses Association/European Renal Care Association
Clinical experience
- 1982-1990: nephrology, peritoneal dialysis and haemodialysis units at the Royal London, Barts and Kings College Hospital, London.
- 1990-2003: clinical teaching at Barts, Royal London and UCH renal units
- 2003-2006: chronic kidney disease management at SW Thames Renal and Transplantation Unit, St. Helier Hospital
Clinical link areas
Community of Practice City and Hackney: City and Hackney Teaching PCT