Dr Crystal Oldman
Crystal is an independent community nursing consultant, with a nursing career spanning more than 45 years.
Crystal’s career in clinical practice included 12 years as a Health Visitor in west London, working mainly with migrant populations and families in temporary accommodation. After a year at Great Ormond Street Hospital working as a clinical research Health Visitor and having completed an MSc in Social Research at the University of Surrey, she moved to Buckinghamshire New University to develop the NMC regulated community nursing and health visiting programmes and to teach research modules in a range of pre and post registration courses.
In 2012, after a career in higher education which included roles from Senior Lecturer to Dean, Crystal was appointed as the Chief Executive of the Queen’s Institute of Community Nursing (QICN). She completed her educational doctorate at the Open University in 2013, with research focussed on the knowledge, skills and attributes of middle management.
Her commitment to excellence in evidence-based practice, policy, innovation and the development of highly skilled nursing leaders guided the development of the QICN’s portfolio of programmes and networks to support the aim and strategic priorities of the charity. In 2019, she supported the establishment of the International Community Nursing Observatory at the QICN, to address gaps in community nursing workforce data and to support the policy influencing work of the QICN.
In 2025, Crystal moved to ‘preferment’, to use her expertise and experience in the sector to support health and nursing charities and not-for-profits as a Trustee.
Awards
2017: CBE for contribution to community nursing and leadership of the QICN.
2017: Honorary Professorship in the Faculty of Health at London South Bank University.
2018: Honorary Doctorate from Buckinghamshire New University.
2019: Churchill Fellowship following a travel scholarship to New Zealand and Australia to explore the nursing support of remote and rural communities (Australia) and integrated working in the community (New Zealand).
2020: Queen’s Nurse title.
2020: Fellowship of the Royal College of Nursing.
2023: Freeman of the Worshipful Company of Nurses.
2023: Gold Badge of the QICN.
