Felicia Kwaku OBE
Felicia has been an associate director of nursing since 2017 at King's College Hospital, NHS Foundation Trust and holds a national position as the chair of the chief nursing officer and chief midwifery officer’s Black Minority Ethnic Strategic Advisory Group, NHS England.
She has over 34 years nursing experience, specialised in general intensive care/cardiac nursing. She trained at University College London Hospitals, holds an MSc in Human Physiology and has always been interested in education and development.
She has held various roles such as research nurse, practice educator, lecturer practitioner post and has been a senior nurse including director of nursing for several years.
Felicia has always had a passion for clinical practice ensuring that patients as well as staff are at the centre of our care. She believes that if the workforce is not highly valued then this is reflected in poor care delivery. Felicia still performs clinical duties and is highly visible both in and out of uniform.
During the pandemic Felicia led the CNO and CMO BME Safety Advisory Group to raise the alarm nationally on the disproportionate impact of COVID-19 on BME staff and the group engaged thousands of staff during the pandemic.
Felicia sits on several national committees/forums and charities:
- Black Asian Minority Ethnic consortium (36 diaspora/international nursing and midwifery associations)
- Commonwealth Nursing and Midwifery Federation UK Diaspora group
- International Committee: Royal College of Nursing (RCN)
- International Nurses Associations Diaspora Group, NHS England
- London Race Equality Steering Group, NHS London
- National Community Nursing Plan - Stakeholder Advisory Panel - NHS England
- NHS Race and Health Observatory’s Stakeholder Engagement Group
- Nigerian Nurses Charitable Association UK - Director for Nursing Education & Training:
- Professional Standards Advisory group Nursing and Midwifery Council (Nursing Midwifery Council -UK)
- Prevention of Nursing and Midwifery Suicide Oversight Group – NHS England
- Save a Heart Nigeria foundation (Charity) - Nursing Education lead:
- UK Commission on Covid Commemoration, Commissioner Department of Health
Felicia was awarded an OBE for services to nursing during the COVID-19 pandemic and is an ICN Global Nurse Leadership Initiative scholar 2023.
Felicia states: “Nursing and Midwifery needs to work strategically to ensure that we are at the centre of global health initiatives. We need to have sufficient numbers of nurses across the globe who are healthy, well and practice to the top of their licence. We need to be in positions of power and influence to steer the necessary agendas and policy. We also need to think, develop and support innovative practice that benefits individuals and holds world leaders/policy makers to account in line with the SDGs”.