Eileen Skellern

Eileen Skellern FRCN (1923–1980) was an English psychiatric nurse who was involved in pioneering psychosocial and psychotherapeutic methods for treating patients.

She helped open up new roles for nurses in mental health work, and demonstrated that they could be equal partners in a team, taking personal responsibility for patient care while collaborating with doctors and playing an important part in new developments in therapeutic treatment.

While also taking a lead in education, administration and policy development, she did research and published in medical and nursing journals, and was a member of key committees in her field.

[1] Her introduction to nursing psychiatric patients in Leeds made her interested in modern psychological approaches to care of the mentally unwell.

[1] The Cassel Hospital by Ham Common, London had a reputation for treating patients in a therapeutic environment and she moved there in 1948 to follow their recently developed course in psychosocial treatment and nursing for nervous disorders.

It was based on numerous visits to hospitals and was funded by a scholarship grant given for a study of the “practical application to ward administration of modern methods in the instruction and handling of staff and student nurses”.

From then on Skellern was always based in the London area and moved to the Bethlem Royal and Maudsley in 1963 to be Superintendent of Nursing, a post to which she had been appointed before her studies in Cheshire.

This approach was in tune with that of Elliott Jaques, professor of social sciences at Brunel University, whose students went on industrial placements as part of their course.

[10] From 2006 the lecture has been the occasion for the presentation of a Lifetime Achievement Award, with recipients including Jo Brand, Helen Bamber, Shirley Smoyak and Malcolm Rae.