Biography

Justin McDermott

Senior Lecturer in Practice-Based Learning (Nursing and Midwifery)

Mental Health Nurse

Middlesex University

Justin McDermott is a registered Mental Health Nurse and Senior Lecturer in Practice-Based Learning at Middlesex University. He has a strong background in mental health nursing education, with a particular focus on enhancing the quality of clinical learning environments for student nurses and midwives.

He began his academic career in 2008 as a Lecturer in Mental Health Nursing at Middlesex University. Since 2015, he has held the post of Senior Lecturer, where he plays a lead role in developing, supporting, and evaluating practice-based learning across the Nursing and Midwifery programmes.

Justin’s work spans curriculum development, academic-practice partnerships, placement quality assurance, and professional standards. He is also actively involved in pan-London initiatives and has contributed to sector-wide projects focused on practice education and assessment.

Teaching

University Practice Lead for Mental Health

As University Practice Lead for Mental Health, I provide strategic oversight of all mental health practice activity across Middlesex University. This includes responsibility for the quality and coordination of practice learning for both academic and clinical staff, as well as pre-registration nursing students.

Key Responsibilities

• Practice Leadership and Coordination

• Oversight of all mental health practice placements and provision.
• Main university contact for the expansion, pause, or closure of clinical placement areas, in collaboration with the placement team.
• Coordination and development of new practice learning areas, including liaison on contracts and compliance.
• Facilitation of student-practice partnership initiatives (e.g. CAMHS placement expressions of interest).

Pan-London Involvement

• Pan-London Chair of ePAD/eMORA; Middlesex University lead. The Electronic Practice Assessment Document (ePAD) is a digital tool used to assess and document nursing and midwifery students’ clinical learning and progress. It supports the Pan London Practice Learning Group (PLPLG) framework, ensuring consistent, standardised assessment, supervision, and feedback across practice learning environments in partnership with universities and placement providers.
• Responsible for liaising with Pan-London network partners to ensure alignment of practice assessment and digital tools.

Governance and Quality Assurance

• Chair of the Quality of Practice Learning Committee: leads quarterly strategic meetings with clinical placement managers, education leads, and social care partners to review and enhance the quality of practice learning for students.
• Chair of the Fitness for Practice Panel for Nursing and Midwifery. The Nursing Chair of Fitness for Practice at a university oversees student conduct and professionalism in clinical settings. They lead panels, review cases, and ensure regulatory and university standards are upheld, supporting safe, effective practice and addressing concerns around competence, behaviour, or health that may impact fitness to practise.
• Key liaison for all student and staff concerns or complaints related to practice placement experiences.
• Oversight of annual educational audits and follow-up on organisational action plans.
• Monitoring of student placement evaluations, including flagging of issues for resolution.

Teaching and Academic Support

• Delivery of Practice Preparation sessions for all students across NMC Part 1, 2, and 3 programmes.
• Lead tutor for ePAD training for Middlesex University staff and students, and contributes to Pan-London training and support activities.
• Facilitator of Practice Assessor and Practice Supervisor training in line with NMC SSSA standards (Day 2 content and updates).
• Lead for the NMC Academic Assessor Forum at Middlesex University, ensuring consistency and support for Academic Assessors across all NMC programmes.