Nursing conference highlights compassionate care and focuses on the future
Published: 01 March 2013
More than 100 clinical leaders from across the NHS and independent sector gathered at the Hallmark Hotel in Derby yesterday to discuss the challenge of maintaining and improving care standards at a time of major upheaval and financial restraint in the health service.
The annual Patient Safety and Quality Conference was organised by the RCN East and West Midlands regions, in association with the Care Campaign being run by Nursing Standard and the Patients Association, with a programme specifically designed for senior nurses.
This is the conference’s second year, and is part of the RCN East and West Midlands regions’ continuing commitment to supporting senior nurses in ensuring the delivery of high quality, safe patient care, and helping them make the most of their knowledge, skills, experience and influence.
With a focus on the future, the conference content reflected the Chief Nursing Officer’s new vision for nursing, known as the Six Cs – care, compassion, courage, communication, competence and commitment.
Speakers at the event included:
• Andrea Spyropoulos, President, Royal College of Nursing
• Katherine Murphy, Chief Executive, The Patients Association
• Dame Elizabeth Fradd FRCN, Independent Healthcare Adviser
• Geraldine Cunningham, Associate Director of Culture Change, Barts Health NHS Trust
• Professor Maggie Boyd, Director of Nursing, Lincolnshire & Leicestershire Area Team
• Dr Lisa Bayliss-Pratt, Director of Nursing, Health Education England
To accompany the event, these two RCN regions have again produced a booklet entitled ‘Best Kept Secrets’, which provides a snapshot of some of the outstanding nursing care being delivered by nurses across the Midlands.
Dr Sheila Marriott, the RCN East Midlands regional director, said: “The ‘Best Kept Secrets’ booklet presents just a few examples of the compassionate, dignified care that is provided by skilled and motivated nurses and healthcare assistants (HCAs) every day, as they work tirelessly to deliver the very best care they can.
“The nursing profession seems to have borne the brunt of much criticism over recent months, culminating in the publication of the report into the Francis Inquiry, which rightly highlighted the poor care received by hundreds of patients at Mid Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust.
“The RCN recognises that, as a profession, we don’t always get it right and that the poor nursing care highlighted in the Francis Inquiry report is completely unacceptable.
“However, we want to show that there is outstanding care being delivered by nurses, and we want to shout about the great work that the vast majority of nursing staff provide.
“Every day, nurses all over the country go above and beyond the call of duty for their patients, and I feel it’s important that we take the opportunity to praise the work they do.
“The stories in ‘Best Kept Secrets’ are just some of the ways nurses and HCAs across the region are caring for their patients; it is by no means exhaustive, and we will continue to make sure these stories are heard.”