Professor Romilly O'Driscoll
Senior Lecturer for Practice Education
- Phone
- +44 (0)1473 338012
- r.odriscoll@uos.ac.uk
- School/Directorate
- School of Health, Sciences and Society
Romilly is a Senior Lecturer for Practice Education, leading on the quality and support of clinical placements to ensure students have positive learning experiences.
Before joining the University of Suffolk, Romilly spent 28 years at East Suffolk and North Essex NHS Foundation Trust, building a substantial clinical and educational career. She qualified as an Operating Department Practitioner (ODP) in 2002 and developed a strong background in perioperative care, specialising in anaesthetics across a range of surgical specialties. In 2014, Romilly became a Practice Education Facilitator (PEF) within Clinical Education, supporting learners and educators across Allied Health Professions (AHP), nursing, and midwifery to succeed in practice.
As a Lead PEF, Romilly provided strategic leadership to a team of educators and placement areas, overseeing key placement areas. She has a strong track record in improving practice learning environments and driving innovation, including leading the implementation of Purple Flag, a learner-centred escalation tool now recognised as best practice.
Romilly completed her PGCE and MA in Healthcare Education in 2016 and has since developed extensive experience in designing and delivering engaging, multisensory teaching across clinical skills and theory.
She is passionate about neurodiversity and has spent over a decade championing inclusive practice, supporting both learners and educators to achieve their potential. She also led the development of training programmes and a reasonable adjustments framework at ESNEFT, strengthening support for neurodivergent staff and students in practice.
Committed to continuous professional development, Romilly continues to enhance her expertise, most recently completing a Level 5 DipHE as a specialist tutor for neurodiverse university students.
(O'Driscoll: Nee Norman)
Norman, R. (2016). Circumcision: the care of Donald Driscoll. In: H. Abbott and S. Wordsworth, eds., Perioperative Practice Case Book. London: Open University Press, pp.3–11.
Romilly was part of an expert reference group representing Operating Department Practitioners (ODPs), contributing to a children’s book aimed at Key Stage 1. Developed in partnership with ESNEFT, the book aims to raise awareness of Allied Health Professions (AHPs), inspiring future careers. Distributed to schools and libraries in Suffolk and north-east Essex.
King, M. (2026) Who will you be? An introduction to the Allied Health Professions. Essex: Ex Why Zed.
Registered with Health & Care Professions Council (HCPC)
Advance HE: Fellow
Member of the Professional Association of Specific Learning Difference Specialists in Higher Education (PASSHE)