Felicia Cox Obituary

My friend and workfellow Felicia Cox, who has died aged 60, was an inspirational caregiver leader who carried retired pioneering activity successful symptom management. She was editor successful main of nan British Journal of Pain for much than a decade and a laminitis personnel of nan Pain Nurse Network, which was primitively for UK nurses and is now international.

Known to each arsenic Flick, she was calved successful Launceston, Tasmania, nan eldest of nan 5 children of Junetta (nee Keep), an agency worker, and Berkley Cox, a well-known Australian Rules footballer who played for Carlton successful Victoria. As a young girl, Flick was fixed a nurse’s azygous – a achromatic dress, reddish cape and nun-type headdress, which she took to wearing astir nan house. She yet followed successful nan footsteps of her glamorous Aunt Suzanne, who was a elder nurse.

After attending Broadlands House girls’ grammar schoolhouse and training astatine Launceston wide hospital, Flick moved to London successful 1990 for a occupation astatine Harefield infirmary arsenic a theatre nurse. There she met Dr John Farrimond, an anaesthetist who became her devoted partner for nan remainder of her life. She remarked later that falling successful emotion pinch an Englishman during an Ashes bid had been challenging for a proud Australian. John and Flick worked together astatine Harefield pinch eminent surgeons specified arsenic Magdi Yacoub.

Flick transferred to symptom guidance successful 1997, and it was successful this area that she had an tremendous effect connected nan nursing profession. When Harefield became portion of nan Royal Brompton and Harefield NHS Foundation Trust successful 1998, she became nan lead for nan symptom work astatine some sites. For nan Royal College of Nursing, she created a knowledge and skills framework, mounting retired for nan first clip nan skills required for nurses, from novice to expert, who worked successful symptom management.

At a European level, she helped put together a program for nurses pinch this specialism, and conducted nan first exams successful 2024, providing European nurses pinch a recognised qualification successful symptom management. She besides carried retired pioneering activity connected nan world shape connected nan safe usage of opioids aft surgery, producing a leaflet for surgical patients to thief them to negociate their pain.

Flick received nan uncommon honour of being elected a chap of nan Royal College of Nursing. The British Pain Society awarded her its badge of favoritism successful 2025 – 1 of only 5 recipients successful its 50-year history, and nan only nurse. Her achievements came contempt suffering superior unwellness for nan past 20 years of her life, including 2 forms of crab that led to a stem compartment transplant successful 2005. She commissioned chapters for nan book Perioperative Pain Management (2008) while successful protective isolation for 90 days anterior to her transplant.

Flick was celebrated among her hundreds of friends and colleagues passim nan world for her generosity, empathy, mischievous consciousness of humour and her style – she was instantly recognisable pinch her Prada handbag and reddish Chanel lipstick.

She is survived by John, and her sisters, Jennifer, Sarah and Lynda, and brother, Stuart, and her Aunt Suzanne.