BARBARA RICHARDSON-TODD reports on the RCN School Nurses Forum's annual conference and exhibition which took place on Saturday 14 March, at the Thistle Hotel, Marble Arch in London.

On the move again!

Dr Peter Carter, RCN Chief Executive & General Secretary, opened proceedings with an inspirational speech on leadership, using the geese analogy which you may remember if you took part in Leo training. I make no apology for reproducing it here (see below) as I think it has excellent lessons for us all.

Fiona Smith, RCN CYP Adviser, brought us up to date with the newly published strategy for children and young people's health - Healthy lives, brighter futures (see her overview).

The four workshops in the morning were repeated in the afternoon to give everybody access:

  • Derek McLaughlin, Lecturer in Nursing, University of Ulster, spoke on motivational interviewing and the only stupid question - the one you don't ask! Derek said no workshop was complete without this 17th century quote: from Pascal's Pensees: "People are generally better persuaded by the reasons which they have themselves discovered than by those which have come into the minds of others."
  • Lesley Bayley and Karla Cullen from the Youth Justice Service explored the impact of alcohol use on young people in their presentation on the holistic approach to alcohol - prevention through intervention.
  • Jane Lees, Chair of the Sex Education Forum, asked "what do young people need in sex and relationship education?" She spoke of the importance of school nurses and teachers attending the CPD programme on SRE, highlighting the new toolkit and other publications which are available for downloading from their website at: www.ncb.org.uk/sef
  • Dr Dawn Jennifer, Regional Adviser for London at the Anti-Bullying Alliance, addressed bullying and disability, confirming that young people with special educational needs and disabilities are considerably more at risk of bullying. The DCSF's newly published Safe to learn was the basis for participants to explore these implications. For more information, Dawn, with colleague Helen Cowie, has published a book on the subject entitled New perspectives on bullying and there's an excellent website at: www.anti-buyingalliance.org.uk

In other business, committee members spoke about their role and what the forum had achieved, previewing the new structure which is coming into place shortly. A new school nurses "community" on the RCN website is at: www.rcn.org.uk/schoolnurses . Do join in the discussion zone or comment on anything you feel is relevant.

The rest of the afternoon was devoted to sessions on eating disorders by Vathani Navasothy and MEND by Suzi Woolcock, plus a school nurse's perspective on delivering the MEND programme from Jacqui Lawrence.

Joy Winks, Chair of the School Nurse Forum, summed up the excellent day: "After hearing Peter make the geese analogy, I think it might be topical to say that, while as school nurses we are 'on the move again' and flying high, we should remember this: sometimes we need to lead the journey, sometimes we need to follow and encourage, and sometimes we need to rest with and help those who struggle. But always we must be working together in our teams to enable children and young people to reach their destination of adulthood with confidence and optimum health!"

Make sure you join us for the next conference in August (see our Events page).

What geese teach organisations about leadership

(Based on research by the naturalist, Milton Olson)

  1. The uplift draft from each goose when flying in "V" formation increases flying range by 71 per cent. Lesson for teamwork: By significant co-ordination and working together the productivity rate is increased dramatically.
  2. As the lead goose of the skein (v) tires, they rotate. Lesson for teamwork: Workload should be evenly distributed. Too much reliance should never be placed on one individual.
  3. Geese honk from the rear as encouragement/warning/information. Lesson for leadership: Communication is critical to ensure effective teamwork and leadership - geese view the honking as encouragement and not in any sense as barracking.
  4. If a goose is wounded or unwell, two geese accompany their friend to the ground and remain until the goose has either recovered or dies. Lesson for leadership: The need to be supportive and sensitive to the needs of others, particularly in times of crisis, is paramount. Working in the Health Service generally, and in nursing specifically, is a highly pressurised and stressful occupation. The need to support each other has never been greater.

High-quality leaders, Peter concluded, connect with their staff, share excellent practice and celebrate the good stuff.