Clinical Community Spotlight
About Paula
Paula McNamara-Jones works within the Care Pathway Team as a Clinical Pathway Manager here at NHS Supply Chain. She brings a unique perspective as a dual-trained nurse in both Mental Health and Adult Nursing.
Paula has extensive experience in community and unscheduled care settings – a role she held for 22 years – alongside commercial roles with healthcare suppliers.
She has also worked as a Pharmaceutical Representative and as a Clinical Nurse Advisor within the commercial sector across a broad range of disease areas, from coronary heart disease to depression.
This combination of clinical and commercial insight enables her to support the development of care pathways that are patient focused and aligned with value-based healthcare principles.
Paula chose to complete her Mental Health Nursing training so she could care for patients as a whole.
The impact of mental health on physical health and recovery is still underestimated. I saw this first-hand while working in an intensive care unit before I trained in mental health nursing – the difference it made to patients’ recovery was profound.
I genuinely love people and all that comes with that – their stories, their challenges, and the opportunity to make a difference in their lives. I’m a relentlessly positive person, and I believe there is almost always a solution – you just have to look for it with an open mind.
Paula McNamara- Jones, Clinical Pathway Manager, Care Pathway Team , NHS Supply Chain
Her role involves listening, sharing ideas, helping teams find efficient ways to improve outcomes, and identifying practical ways to turn strategy into action.
Recently, Paula has been involved in projects aimed at improving relationships and creating opportunities for value-based healthcare. This includes supporting Integrated Care Systems and Ambulance Services through clinical input to strengthen decision-making and ensure patient outcomes remain at the heart of every pathway. For Paula, these projects are about building trust and finding solutions that work for everyone.
Embedding the Clinical and Quality of Care Strategy
Paula values the Clinical and Quality of Care Strategy’s emphasis on collaboration and believes that clinical and non-clinical colleagues working together can make meaningful improvements to patient care. Clinical touchpoints throughout the organisation demonstrate NHS Supply Chain’s commitment to patients and the NHS overall. Her role within the Care Pathway Team enables her to see this first hand.
Throughout her career, Paula has remained focused on the patient in every role she has held, saying, “…at the end of the day, without them, we would not have a job – and we must never lose sight of the fact that we are all patients too.” She believes it is a privilege to be part of people’s lives and to have a positive impact – large or small. She is also celebrating a huge milestone of 40 years within the NHS this year.
Life Outside of Work
Paula enjoys countryside walks, birdwatching, and observing wildlife.
I am constantly amazed and entertained by the wildlife around me. I carry a pocket kite with me wherever I go. I read somewhere, over 30 years ago, that to fly a kite successfully you must be totally relaxed and present in the moment – otherwise it won’t fly. It’s amazing how many people I have met whilst flying my pocket kite.
Paula McNamara- Jones, Clinical Pathway Manager, Care Pathway Team , NHS Supply Chain