The Neurological Council of Western Australia is pleased to announce the appointment of Louise (Lou) Hatter as Clinical Nurse Manager, bringing more than 25 years of neurological nursing experience and respected leadership to the role.
Lou takes on the position ahead of the forthcoming retirement of Kym Heine, who has been with the Neurological Council for 12 years and served as Clinical Nurse Manager for 4 years, playing a key role in shaping the success of the organisation’s neurological nursing services.
A registered nurse and internationally accredited Multiple Sclerosis (MS) Specialist, Lou is widely respected across Western Australia and nationally for her clinical expertise, calm and grounded leadership style, and deep commitment to community based neurological care. Her career spans acute care, community health, education, research and national service delivery, with a consistent focus on helping people live well with neurological conditions.
About Lou Hatter
Lou joins the organisation following an extensive career shaping neurological nursing services in Western Australia, including 16 years leading MSWA’s multidisciplinary nursing team from 2003 to 2019. In that role, she was responsible for strategic and operational planning, clinical governance, quality and risk management, workforce leadership, stakeholder engagement, and the delivery of research-informed, community-based neurological nursing services.
Her appointment comes at a time of continued growth and increasing demand for neurological nursing support across the state and reflects a strong alignment between Lou’s career-long focus and the Neurological Council’s commitment to improving the lives of people living with neurological conditions.
A career grounded in calm leadership and care
Lou began her nursing career in the UK in the early 1990s, training in a hospital-based system that placed nurses at the frontline of care from day one. Her early clinical years included intensive care and acute settings, where she gained deep experience supporting patients and families through crisis, uncertainty and end-of-life care.
“That grounding teaches you how to stay calm, communicate clearly and support people at their most vulnerable,” Lou says. “Those skills stay with you for life.”
She transitioned into neurological nursing at a pivotal moment for Multiple Sclerosis care, becoming one of the first specialist MS nurses in the UK as disease-modifying therapies emerged. With new treatments came a new kind of nursing role that focused on education, coordination and long-term support.
In the UK, Lou ran 14 specialist MS clinics across the south east, working alongside neurologists while bridging hospital and community care. Her role extended well beyond clinical settings into people’s homes, workplaces and everyday lives.
“People might spend a small amount of time in hospital, but the rest of their lives happen at home. That’s where support needs to be, helping people to live well with their condition in the community.”
Lou’s belief that effective neurological care must be community-based, coordinated and person-centred has remained central to her practice and leadership style.
Strengthening neurological nursing in Western Australia
After relocating to Western Australia in 2003, Lou played a key role in developing and expanding MS nursing services across the state, working closely with neurologists, nurses and allied health professionals.
Her leadership at MSWA spanned service development, workforce capability and education, including co-authoring research and white papers and contributing to the postgraduate Certificate in MS Nursing curriculum in partnership with Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital and subsequently Curtin University.
She has also held specialist nursing and education roles with national providers Aesir Health and RxMx Risk Management Services, further broadening her perspective across clinical practice, research and system-level care.
Lou’s contributions have been recognised nationally, including being named Multiple Sclerosis Nurse of the Year (Australasia) and receiving the MS Australia 50 Years Presidential Medal in 2022, awarded to just 50 individuals across Australia.
Leading the role forward
For Lou, leadership is about enabling others to do their best work. As Clinical Nurse Manager, she will lead the Neurological Council’s neurological nursing services with a strong focus on quality, consistency and collaboration, supporting nurses to work confidently within their scope while strengthening partnerships across hospitals, funding providers, primary care and community services.
She is particularly passionate about strengthening referral pathways, improving awareness of neurological nursing roles, and ensuring people, especially in regional and remote areas, can access the right support at the right time.
She explains, “When awareness of community-based neurological services is shared by everyone involved in a person’s care, support can be better timed, better coordinated and more effective.”
Lou will work alongside outgoing Clinical Nurse Manager Kym Heine, who will remain in the role until 31 January to provide induction and handover, before continuing to offer clinical nurse manager and audit support until her retirement on 18 February.
Lou acknowledges the strong foundation Kym has built. “Kym’s leadership, knowledge and commitment have shaped a service that makes a real difference to people’s lives,” she says. “It’s a privilege to be continuing that work.”
Lou’s appointment brings deep experience, steady leadership and a strong commitment to community-based neurological care at a time of growing demand across Western Australia. We welcome Lou as she leads the next chapter of the Neurological Council’s neurological services, spanning NeuroCare, NeuroKids, the Headache and Migraine Clinic and NeuFriends peer support groups.