Gary Jones CBE was born in Grays, Essex in 1953 and trained as a nurse in the local hospital at Orsett. He is a nurse with over 40 years’ experience in emergency care, a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) for services to Emergency Nursing, Fellow of the Royal College of Nursing, the Florence Nightingale Foundation and Honorary Fellow Faculty of Emergency Nursing. Gary holds a range of nursing qualifications including the Diploma in Nursing, Ophthalmic Nursing Diploma and the City & Guilds 730 Further Education Teaching & Assessing Certificate.

Having established himself in full time Accident & Emergency (A&E) nursing in 1977, and having been awarded the Smith & Nephew Florence Nightingale Scholarship to Canada & the USA in 1980, Gary joined the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) A&E Nursing Forum in 1982. With many years’ experience in both clinical and managerial positions Gary has been one of the key developers of emergency nursing within the UK. He has advised at national level on many aspects of emergency care including paramedic training, expert nursing practice and emergency care in the community. Gary is the author of two emergency care books, has edited and contributed to a third and written numerous chapters and articles for other emergency books and journals.

The first book in his memoir series, It’s Not All Blood & Guts – My Amazing Life as an A&E Nurse was published in 2019 and covers the challenges Gary faced in becoming a nurse and follows his cadet and student years as well as his career before and after specialising in A&E nursing. The bulk of the first memoir covers clinical and managerial events during Gary’s time in A&E and also his work with the Red Cross, culminating in being awarded the Voluntary Medical Services Medal, Badge of Honour and Life Membership. The second book in his memoir series is The History of Emergency Nursing 1972-2007, published in 2021 it covers how the early pioneers and Gary changed emergency nursing into the speciality it is today. All enrichment talks are from the two books of memoirs.

From 1987-1995 Gary was Chair of the RCN A&E Nursing Association and from 1994-1997 the Honorary Consultant Nurse Advisor in Accident & Emergency Nursing to the Chief Nursing Officer at the Department of Health (England). Following his time as Chair of the RCN A&E Nursing Association Gary became an RCN Council member, Vice-Chair of RCN Council and following this term of office, he became the Convener of RCN Fellows. He is currently a Freeman of the City of London & Freeman of the Worshipful Company of Nurses (City of London). Apart from his time at Moorfields Eye Hospital, Gary spent his clinical career at Orsett Hospital. Leaving the NHS in 1992, he provided consultancy, expert witness and teaching services and developed a very successful training and development business.

Social interests include gardening, hill walking in Derbyshire and many cruises to many parts of the world.

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