Dr. Greg Bleakley

Biography

Dr Greg Bleakley - Associate Professor of Adult Nursing

RN, D.Prof, PGCE, BSc (Hons), DipN, Adv.Cert (Critical Care), RNT, FHEA 

As Associate Professor in Nursing and Healthcare Leadership at the University of Bradford, I hold a strategic leadership position within the School of Nursing and Healthcare Leadership. As part of the Senior Leadership Team, I am responsible for the delivery and development of the apprenticeship and nursing programmes. 

My nursing career began in 1996, rooted in clinical practice within acute care settings. Over the years, I have held various senior roles including Matron and Practice Educator in Critical Care, and Band 8a Donor Transplant Co-ordinator/Specialist Nurse – Organ Donation for the Northwest, North Wales and Isle of Man regions. These roles have shaped my passion for patient-centred care and clinical education.

I am a Fellow of Advance HE, hold a Postgraduate Certificate in Medical and Health Education, and have recognised 'Teacher' status with the Nursing and Midwifery Council. I have considerable experience in the teaching, learning, and assessment of undergraduate and postgraduate students, and continue to contribute to the academic development of the future nursing workforce.

In 2015, I received the Florence Nightingale Foundation Research Scholarship, an award that offered funding for one year of my doctoral studies and enabled me to engage with a network of leading scholars and practitioners in the field.

From 2018 to 2022, I served as External Examiner for the CPS/PgCert Critical Care programmes within the Greater Manchester Critical Care Network and Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust (validated by Manchester Metropolitan University). In October 2024, I was appointed as External Examiner for the Critical Care programmes at Edge Hill University for a four-year term.

In 2018, I was awarded a Professional Doctorate in Nursing for my thesis titled “A grounded theory study exploring critical care staff experiences of approaching relatives for organ donation.” This research drew upon Constructivist Grounded Theory, specifically the work of Charmaz, and stemmed from clinically rooted questions during my time in practice.

I am also the co-author of Essentials of Nursing Critically Ill Adults (SAGE, 2021), a comprehensive 17-chapter textbook exploring the key issues in critical care nursing. The second edition was published in April 2025. 

Publications:

(a) Peer reviewed 

Bleakley G, and Cole M, (2025). The Nurse’s Pivotal Role in Antimicrobial Stewardship: Addressing the Global Challenge of Antimicrobial Resistance. British Journal of Nursing (Accepted 6/8/25). 

Freeman S, Burns C, Bleakley G, (2025). Essentials of Nursing Critically Ill Adults. Sage Publications (2nd Edition). April 2025, 416 pages. 

Bleakley G, (2025). Chapter 11: Critical Care related to Neurology physiology and disorders. Essentials of Nursing Critically Ill Adults. Second Edition, Sage Publications. 

Bleakley G, (2025). Chapter 13: Complex Case SCENARIO 2. Essentials of Nursing Critically Ill Adults. Second Edition, Sage Publications. 

Freeman S, Burns C, and Bleakley G, (2025). Chapter 8: Critical Care related to the renal and liver systems. Essentials of Nursing Critically Ill Adults. Second Edition, Sage Publications.

Freeman S, Steen C, and Bleakley G, (2025). Chapter 5: Critical Care related to the Respiratory system. Essentials of Nursing Critically Ill Adults. Second Edition, Sage Publications.

Bleakley G, (2024). Principles of Transferring Critically Ill Adults. British Journal of Nursing. Vol 33, No 15. 10.12968/bjon.2023.0174

Freeman S, Steen C, and Bleakley G, (2023). Caring for the critically ill adult. Foundations of Adult Nursing. (in Burns D, [Ed] Third Edition).

Bleakley G, and Cole M, (2021). Chapter 11: Critical Care related to Neurology physiology and disorders. Essentials of Nursing Critically Ill Adults. Sage Publications. 

Bleakley G, (2021). Chapter 13: Complex Case SCENARIO 2. Essentials of Nursing Critically Ill Adults. Sage Publications. 

Freeman S, Steen C, and Bleakley G, (2021). Chapter 5: Critical Care related to the Respiratory system. Essentials of Nursing Critically Ill Adults. Sage Publications.

Freeman S, and Bleakley G, (2021). Chapter 8: Critical Care related to the renal and liver systems. Essentials of Nursing Critically Ill Adults. Sage Publications.

Freeman S, Steen C, and Bleakley G, (2021). Essentials of Nursing Critically Ill Adults. Sage Publications (368 p). 

Bleakley G, and Cole M, (2020). Recognition and Management of Sepsis for Nurses. British Journal of Nursing. Vol 29 (21), p 1248 – 1251. 

Bleakley G, and Cole M, (2019). Organ donation: Reducing the risk of health care associated infection. Nursing in Critical Care. Vol 24 (3), p 149 – 152. 

Bleakley G, (2019). An overview of organ donation for support staff. British Journal of Healthcare Assistants. Vol 13 (7), p 350 – 353. 

Freeman S, Steen C, and Bleakley G, (2018). Caring for the critically ill adult. Foundations of Adult Nursing. (in Burns D, [Ed] Second Edition). 

Bleakley G, (2018). A grounded theory study exploring critical care staff experiences of approaching relatives for organ donation. D.Prof Doctoral Thesis, University of Salford. 

Bleakley G, (2018). Legislative change alone is not a panacea to the critical shortage of donor organs. Nursing Times. 

Bleakley G, (2017). Understanding Brainstem Death Testing. British Journal of Neuroscience Nursing. Vol 13 (4), p 172 – 177. 

Bleakley G, (2010). Implementing minimum notification criteria for organ donation into an acute hospitals critical care units. Nursing in Critical Care. Vol 15 (4), p 185 – 191. 

Bleakley G, (2008). Have you got the heart to ask? Linchpin - Promoting Best Practice in Palliative Care for Children and Young People. Vol 11, Issue 1 , p 19.

(b) Non-peer reviewed scholarly activity 

Bleakley G, (2024). How to treat post-sepsis syndrome. RCNiLearning: Nursing Toolkits. 

Bleakley G, (2015). What influences critical care staff to consider engaging with relatives about organ donation following end of life decisions? Florence Nightingale Foundation (London) Commissioned Report. 

NHS Professionals (2015). Online Blog. Gregory researches what influences critical care staff to consider engaging with relatives about organ donation following end of life decisions. 

Bleakley G, (2010). The North West of England experience of Required Referral for Organ Donation. Oral Presentation, World Organ Donation Congress, Cardiff, Wales. 

Bleakley G, (2009). Implementation of Minimum Notification Criteria for Organ Donation into an Acute Hospitals Critical Care Units. Poster Presentation, World Organ Donation Congress, Berlin, Germany. 

Research

My research interests and scholarly activity centre on critical care and organ donation, with a strong emphasis on the human, ethical and systemic dimensions that shape both domains. I specialise in qualitative methodologies, particularly Constructivist Grounded Theory as developed by Charmaz, which I use to explore the experiences and perspectives of patients, families and healthcare professionals. While qualitative inquiry is my primary lens, I also possess a working understanding of diverse methodological approaches, enabling me to engage meaningfully in interdisciplinary and mixed-methods research.

Teaching

My teaching interests are mainly aligned to previous professional roles and experiences:

Organ Donation and Transplantation 

Kidney and pancreas transplantation 

Recognising the unwell and deteriorating adult 

Breaking bad news and grief response 

End of life care in critical care 

Critical care and critical illness 

Nursing therapeutics and communication skills 

Professional activities

Publications