Steve Ford
Steve Ford focuses on how changes in nursing policy, workforce planning and clinical practice affect frontline nurses, using his position at Nursing Times to highlight issues that matter to the profession. He leads the editorial team at Nursing Times and writes selected news stories and comment pieces that connect national developments with everyday nursing work.
Workforce, policy and nursing voice
Ford’s recent coverage includes stories on union demands for greater investment in the nursing workforce in Wales, set against government efforts to cut NHS waiting lists. In this kind of piece he links funding announcements and system pressures directly to staffing levels, patient care and nurses’ working conditions. He consistently treats nurses as the primary audience and subject, pushing policy and service-change stories through the lens of their impact on the nursing workforce.
His approach to external pitches reinforces this focus on nursing voice. He asks senders to clearly explain why a press release matters to his readers and to include quotes from specialist nurses alongside doctors in clinical stories. That expectation makes nurse perspectives central in his coverage of service redesign, new roles, or clinical initiatives, and shapes how he selects and frames workforce and policy news. In commentary around Nursing Times’ Nursing Leaders event, he stresses that nurse leaders are “central to delivering care and driving innovation”, underlining his interest in leadership, influence and professional authority within nursing.
Clinical stories and global health threats
Ford writes clinical news that ties developments in disease control and practice back to nursing roles and responsibilities. In coverage of UK specialists travelling to Congo as concerns about Ebola increase, he reports on international public health threats through the lens of what they mean for UK-based clinicians and nurses involved in preparedness and response. He also covers nurse-led clinical improvements, such as tissue viability nurses in Lincolnshire devising a workbook to tackle pressure ulcers, showing an interest in practical tools that support safer care at the bedside.
These pieces tend to be concise and focused on the clinical implications for nursing teams, rather than broad health features. His reporting highlights where nurses lead or innovate in clinical pathways, and how their expertise shapes interventions such as pressure ulcer prevention or infection control. By bringing together disease-outbreak stories with everyday practice improvements, he gives readers a view of clinical risk and response that is grounded in nursing work.
Students, awards and professional development
Ford plays a visible role in nurturing student and early-career nurses through Nursing Times’ student initiatives. In his article announcing applications for the next cohort of student editors, he invites student nurses to write for the title and points readers to their existing articles on the dedicated student section. That piece presents editorial work as part of professional development and gives students a platform to explore topics such as placements, education and transition to practice.
He also fronts the Student Nursing Times Awards, providing commentary that frames the awards as a reminder of the strength and promise of the future nursing workforce. His remarks around these awards emphasise excellence, resilience and the importance of recognising student achievement, positioning Nursing Times as an ally in the development and morale of new nurses. More broadly, he oversees a mix of news, clinical articles, features and opinion aimed at supporting nurses’ ongoing learning, as reflected in descriptions of the editorial output he leads. This combination of student engagement, awards coverage and educational content marks professional growth and recognition as a core strand of his work.
Digital-first editorial leadership and investigations
Ford has guided Nursing Times through a shift from print to a digital-first model, with the magazine ending its 120-year print run to focus on online growth. He has stated that the brand is aiming for “more exclusive investigation content”, indicating a commitment to deeper, original reporting on issues affecting nurses rather than relying only on routine announcements. His role includes leading a team that produces news, features, clinical pieces and opinion for both online and, where relevant, remaining print formats.
On social platforms, he describes himself as editor of Nursing Times and highlights that he provides the latest news and views on nursing. That public positioning aligns with his push for investigations and digital expansion, placing Nursing Times as a central source of specialist nursing journalism. For story partners, his editorial stance means he is drawn to material that offers clear nursing angles, robust evidence and potential for either investigative follow-up or practical impact on nursing practice.
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