Leanne Patrick
Covers:
Nursing, Mental Health, Politics, Policy, Women's Rights, Domestic Violence, Gender, Inequality, Learning Disabilities, NHS, Social Media, Misogyny
Queen's Nurse (RNMH) | Domestic abuse & sexual violence specialist | Writer | Feminist | RCN Council Member 2025-2031
Articles by Leanne Patrick
Women members Lead the RCN
8 Aug 2025 Leanne Patrick, RCN Council member for Scotland, reflects on the importance of tackling underrepresentation in RCN governance structures and invites members to join the Members Lead the RCN webinar series In my role as RCN Council member for Scotland, I am privileged every day to witness the remarkable skill, talent and tenacity of women in our profession.
Why are dominant suicidology approaches failing nurses? A call for a feminist critical suicidology perspective
1 BACKGROUND In the UK, 90% of nurses are female, a figure replicated at the global level. A significant proportion are also from the global ethnic majority (NMC, 2023; ONS, 2019). Notably, the risk of suicide among female nurses is 23% higher compared to women in other occupational groups (NCISH, 2020). Despite this significant finding, our understanding of this phenomenon remains limited, in part due to how we interpret suicide in certain contexts.
Rejecting the myth of the ‘perfect victim’
Comment Previous Next Leanne Patrick Gender-based violence nurse specialist with NHS Fife Nurses can safeguard women experiencing domestic or sexual violence, but first need to understand survivor behaviours The recent defamation trial between Johnny Depp and Amber Heard dominated social media for weeks. There was much online discussion about how a ‘real’ victim of domestic abuse or sexual violence behaves or what ‘true’ survivors look like. Nursing Standard. 37, 8, 13-13.
Domestic abuse: we must debunk myths about what victims look like
Nurses can safeguard women experiencing domestic or sexual violence – but miss important cues if they misunderstand survivor behaviours Nurses can safeguard women experiencing domestic or sexual violence – but miss important cues if they misunderstand survivor behaviours The recent defamation trial between actors and former spouses Johnny Depp and Amber Heard dominated social media for several weeks.
Gender Dysphoria in children and young people: The implications for clinical staff of the Bell V’s Tavistock Judicial Review and Appeal Ruling
Summary In the past few years, there has been a very significant rise in the number of children and young people seeking treatment for gender dysphoria This area is the subject of much discussion, as evidenced in a recent court case in the UK which examined competence and capacity of young people to consent to potentially irreversible interventions.
The role of nurses in recognising and responding to violence against women
1 BACKGROUND Violence against women (VAW) is the threat of or actual harm by physical, sexual or psychological abuse. Male violence, the most prevalent and dangerous form, is the leading contributor towards death, disease and disability amongst women aged 18–44 globally (Ellsberg et al., 2008).
Domestic violence: a lack of training is stopping nurses from saving lives
Nurses in all settings come into contact with abuse victims, so should be equipped to respond Almost one in three women worldwide will experience domestic abuse or sexual violence within their lifetime , according to data from the World Health Organization. More recent research suggests that, in the UK, this figure could be even higher. A study published this year found 99.7% of 22,419 UK women had been repeatedly subjected to violence, including assaults, harassment and rape.
Readers’ panel: Would better flexible working options help nurses recover from the pandemic?
Francis Fernando @fernandof1974 Head of nursing, London NHS trust, Filipino Nurses Association UK Liz Charalambous @lizcharalambou Teaching associate, University of Nottingham Leanne Patrick @LeanneHPatrick Gender-based violence nurse, NHS Fife, RCN Feminist Network Grant Byrne @GGByrne Fourth-year nursing student, Edinburgh Our experts consider a hot topic of the day Nursing Standard. 36, 6, 12-12. doi: 10.7748/ns.36.6.12.s8 Want to read more?
A focus on recruiting men panders to bogus inequality concerns
Leanne Patrick Gender-based violence nurse, NHS Fife, RCN Feminist Network Recruitment campaigns that are aimed at men hijack worries about under-representation and benefit society’s most advantaged group The need to ‘develop and promote a strategy to recruit more men into nursing’ was the subject of a failed resolution at the RCN’s 2019 congress. The resolution was made on the basis that nursing has a staffing crisis and men are ‘significantly under-represented’ in nursing. Nursing Standard.
Sex, gender and nursing
The aim of this editorial is to raise awareness and provoke discussion about the issues of sex and gender in nursing. Here, we provide a brief summary of a complex and challenging area. This topic has been the subject of significant heated debate on social media and has, more recently, come to the fore in more mainstream media and throughout sections of academia—prompting increasingly polarized discussion. It is now an issue where deeply held views are evident—some quite entrenched.
Men in nursing: recruitment campaigns pander to bogus concerns about inequality
Recruitment campaigns that focus on men hijack inequality concerns for the benefit of society’s most advantaged group An NHS England recruitment video is narrated by a man claiming he is ‘not embarrassed’ to be a nurse The need to ‘develop and promote a strategy to recruit more men into the nursing profession’ was the subject of a failed resolution at the RCN’s 2019 congress.
Misogyny thrives when women are silenced
Leanne Patrick Gender-based violence nurse, NHS Fife, RCN Feminist Network Sarah Everard’s murder has exposed the grim reality for many women online and in the workplace – and nursing is not immune The recent disappearance and suspected murder of Sarah Everard has seen a huge outpouring of stories on social media highlighting the fear shared by so many women and their collective grief. Nursing Standard. 36, 4, 11-11. doi: 10.7748/ns.36.4.11.s7 Want to read more? Already subscribed?
Misogyny thrives when women are silenced online – and in the workplace
Sarah Everard’s murder has exposed widespread misogyny in UK culture, and nursing is not immune Protestors paying tribute to Sarah Everard in London on 15 March 2021. Picture: Getty Images The recent disappearance and suspected murder of Sarah Everard has seen a huge outpouring of storieson social mediahighlighting the fear shared by so many women and their collective grief.
Gender-based violence nursing: this rewarding new role and its responsibilities
Gender-based violence nurses are a hub for multi-agency healthcare and safeguarding, and they are meeting an increasingly urgent need In November 2020, I started my new role as a gender-based violence nurse with NHS Fife in Scotland. I had not heard of this type of role or service before my post was advertised, but much like trauma, violence against women and girls runs like a thread through every area of mental health.
The Culture Wars, nursing, and academic freedom
1 What did nursing do in the great culture wars? Orthodoxy whether of the right or of the left is the graveyard of creativity. – Chinua Achebe, ‘Anthills of the Savannah’ (Achebe, 1988, p. 100). An iconic 1915 propaganda poster shows a little girl asking her guilt-ridden father, who clearly has not enlisted, “Daddy, what did YOU do in the Great War?”. Would today's poster ask every nurse and nursing academic, “What did YOU do in the great Culture Wars?”.
Does social media share our concerns or fuel our anxiety?
Leanne Patrick Mental health nurse, Community drug and alcohol service, NHS Forth Valley, and project coordinator, The Mental Elf As the public looks for healthcare guidance online, it is more important than ever that nurses choose their words wisely In Man’s Search for Meaning the author, psychiatrist and Holocaust survivor Viktor Frankl, describes his life as a prisoner in a concentration camp during the second world war.
COVID-19: when our social media posts shift from sharing concerns to fuelling anxiety
As the public looks for healthcare guidance online, it’s important that nurses choose their words wisely In Man’s Search for Meaning the author, psychiatrist and Holocaust survivor Viktor Frankl describes his life as a prisoner in Auschwitz during the second world war. He believed that, in the most dire circumstances, finding a sense of meaning or purpose is the key to enduring and surviving great pain and suffering.
Harassment is not ‘just part of the job’
Leanne Patrick Community Drugs and Alcohol Nurse, NHS Forth Valley and project coordinator for website and blog The Mental Elf Nursing students should be given more support when dealing with sexual comments from patients A discussion on Twitter caught my attention recently; a female nursing student was asking for advice about dealing with sexual comments from older male patients. Responses were, unsurprisingly, mixed. Nursing Standard. 35, 4, 23-24. doi: 10.7748/ns.35.4.23.s14
'What does it mean for mental health and learning disability patients?'
In the aftermath of the 2009 H1N1 influenza pandemic, researchers from around the world considered its impact upon mental health services and patients. They resoundingly concluded that disaster planning should include well-developed strategies for managing infectious disease outbreaks in order to protect vulnerable patients.
Sexual harassment is not ‘just part of the job’
Nursing students should be given more support when dealing with sexual comments from patients A discussion on Twitter caught my attention recently; a female nursing student was asking for advice about dealing with sexual comments from older male patients and responses were, unsurprisingly, mixed.
Three issues for mental health nurse educators preparing new preregistration programmes
Robin Ion Senior Lecturer, Division of Mental Health Nursing and Counselling, University of Abertay, Dundee, Scotland Leanne Patrick Nursing Student, University of Stirling, Stirling, Scotland Zoe Chouliara Professor in Mental Health, School of Applied Sciences, University of Abertay, Dundee, Scotland Emily-May Marlow Clinical Academic Fellow, School of Applied Sciences, University of Abertay, Dundee, Scotland Why you should read this article • To understand that new preregistration nursing...
Tackling student mental health challenges together
The first-ever nursing student mental health day started a new conversation about well-being Earlier this year, nursing students from around the globe came together on social media to mark the first annual Student Nurse Mental Health Day. This initiative reflects growing concerns about the well-being of nursing students, which many believe has been overlooked for too long. We were joined by academic and clinical nursing staff with a shared vision for improving mental health among students.
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