Meet the team

I’m Sara James, Chief Operating Officer for Thornbury Nursing Services. With over two decades of experience in the healthcare industry, I am dedicated to ensuring the seamless functioning of our operations and the achievement of our strategic objectives. Alongside maintaining operational excellence, I am committed to fostering a culture of innovation and collaboration throughout the organisation.

I am driven by a deep passion for delivering exceptional service quality and supporting healthcare professionals. My journey began in 1999 when I joined Thornbury as Operations Manager. The following year I became Managing Director. With a background as a Registered Nurse in both the UK and the USA, my career was centred around cardiac and general ICU, as well as hospital management.

I’m Rachel Trueman, Managing Director at Thornbury Nursing. I joined the company in 2001 as a Placement Coordinator whilst I considered what I wanted to do next with my nursing career and have never looked back! I’m grateful for the diverse experience I’ve gained managing various departments within TNS, as well as our sister company the Scottish Nursing Guild, which has been vital in paving my path to Director level.

My role is forever changing, which keeps things very varied and interesting. I work with a great bunch of people, both internally and those who represent us working for the agency. I find it very rewarding knowing we are providing experienced and high-quality staff to clinical areas that may otherwise have to go without.

I’m Andrew Davies, Technology and Digital Products Director for Thornbury Nursing Services. I joined in 2005 as a Duty Desk Coordinator. In the subsequent years, I moved through various supervisory and managerial roles, including three years managing our community care business. In 2013, I took a sideways move into Data Analytics and Technology. In 2018, I took lead of our Technology Strategy and built a new Digital Products Team. My role has changed dramatically over two decades however I greatly value the experience of my early years as it gave me a solid understanding of the market we serve as well as some great memories of our candidates and clients.

I manage a team who are responsible for improving our current tech platforms through designing and building applications to better support our nurses, clients, and internal staff.

I’m Kate Nicholson-Florence, Quality Assurance Director for Thornbury Nursing Services. I started my career as a qualified paediatric nurse in 1998 and have experience in both the acute and community sector. I have been with the company since 2009, specifically working in a quality and governance role since 2021. I have overall responsibility for our Quality Assurance across the UK, ensuring we provide the highest quality agency workers to support clients in both hospital and community settings.

I’m Naomi Newport, Commercial Director for Thornbury Nursing Services. I have worked for the business since 2016. I oversee our commercial teams, building relationships with new clients and improving the relationships we have with existing clients, helping us to deliver the best possible service to the healthcare sector across the UK and Ireland.

I have over 20 years’ sales management, recruitment and operations experience from many different sectors, including telecoms and NGOs. Thornbury Nursing offers clients and nurses a unique service, and it is something I am very proud to be part of.

I’m Lewis and I have worked with Thornbury Nursing Services since 2014. I started as a Recruitment Coordinator, with no prior experience within the industry, and have spent my time since progressing my knowledge and position within Thornbury Nursing.

As Head of Candidate Services, I am responsible for ensuring that we have a compliant, engaged, and effective workforce, and that we are only adding the most experienced and skilled workers when onboarding new applicants.

I’m Pam Selfe and I’m the Transition Director for Thornbury Nursing. I’ve been here since 1990, and before that I was a staff nurse at Bristol’s Oncology Centre. I’ve been involved in many aspects of the company, starting as a placement coordinator, and moving into database management and compliance, the area I was responsible for until 2024. With my varied experience across the business, I now support all teams in any transitions within Thornbury Nursing and also within Acacium Group.

Over the years, I’ve seen the company grow from a small family-run business into one of the leading agencies in the country. People have been at the heart of the business from the beginning, and they still are.

I’m Melissa, Business Manager for Thornbury Nursing’s Bristol and London operations. I joined Thornbury in 2016 as a placement coordinator, before transitioning to team leader, operations manager, and now business manager. I also worked for Thornbury as an agency HCA prior to joining the office team. I have worked in healthcare since 2009, gaining experience across hospital, nursing home, and community settings.

I’m Gerwyn, Country Manager for Wales. I joined the business in 2014 as Talent Acquisition Partner and have had various roles since, such as Operations Manager for our COVID Testing Operation during the pandemic, then moving to National Sales Manager for two years, and more recently as Country Manager for Wales overseeing our Cardiff office.

My role is to oversee the day-to-day operations of our Welsh business and lead our team in Cardiff ensuring we are efficient, effective and delivering for our clients and agency workers in Wales.

I’m Neil and I’m the Business Manager for Thornbury Nursing’s Leeds operation, Mental Health and Specialist Staffing. I originally joined Thornbury’s sister company the Scottish Nursing Guild back in 2021, working as a Placement Coordinator and moved into a role as Niche Resourcer.

In February 2023, I was offered the Leeds Branch Manager role and in July 2023 I was promoted to Business Manager, taking on responsibility for managing the Mental Health and Niche Business.

I am Claire Turley, Sales Manager at Thornbury Nursing Services. I recently joined the team in February 2024. My role involves managing our sales teams across England and Wales, providing coaching and mentorship to ensure exceptional customer service for both prospective and current clients.

With a diverse background spanning various industries such as advertising and apprenticeships, I bring extensive experience in building and nurturing sales teams.

With over 25 years of experience in the nursing industry and a proven track record in business development and management, Julie brings a wealth of expertise to the Thornbury team.

As Consultancy Business Manager, Julie spearheads our Consultancy Services division, guiding healthcare organisations through the intricacies of Care Quality Commission (CQC) pre-inspection and post-inspection processes.

Her diverse background in nursing, business development, and health and safety management positions her perfectly to provide a holistic and strategic approach to CQC compliance.