Conference highlights the role of nurses in developing mental health care
Mental Health and Learning Disability nurses will be at the forefront of how NHS care across Norfolk, Suffolk and the wider UK will be shaped and influenced.
More than 350 nursing staff from all fields of nursing across Norfolk and Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust (NSFT) heard about the Trust’s new nursing strategic plan, how this fits in with the national picture, and how they will be central to embedding it, at the Trust’s Nursing Conference at Norfolk Showground on Tuesday (12 May).
The event saw speakers from key partners including Norfolk and Suffolk’s new Integrated Care Board and the Nursing and Midwifery Council talking about nurses having confidence in their skills and having the courage to speak out if something is wrong.
Keynote speaker Jacynth Ivey MBE, award-winning transformation leader and coach, talked about how nurses can unlock opportunities and how good leadership can enhance those opportunities.
She told the audience: “Don’t shrink to fit in. Think about who you might become if you stop underestimating yourself.” She continued: “Everyone in this room is influencing culture. Live your organisational values, not only with each other but also think about what that looks like in terms of patient care.”
The conference saw the launch of NSFT’s nursing strategic plan and how it will help empower nurses to deliver safer, kinder and better care.
NSFT Chief Nurse Anthony Deery said: “We want to capitalise on our wealth of creativity and innovation within NSFT and make sure we use it to help shape our strategic nursing plan to support our nurses in delivering the best health outcomes for the people we look after.
“If you step into NSFT as a newly qualified nurse, you want to know what strategies are in place to help you develop and this includes our the new NSFT accredited academy.”
Lisa Nobes, Executive Director of Nursing for Norfolk and Suffolk Integrated Care Board, shared the importance of clinical staff being involved in commissioning. She told the audience: “Having you closely involved is really, really important and embedding your reservoir of knowledge into that is critical.”
She talked about promoting equity across Norfolk and Suffolk, particularly in areas of deprivation to ensure everyone gets the same quality of care.
“Mental health nursing doesn’t work in isolation, and you can help us make sure what we provide is focused on providing the best care and outcomes, plus an insight into shifting care into the community. You guys have got the power, and I would really like to harness your clinical voice.”
NSFT has a wealth of staff from outside of the UK, including Samuel Jude, Community Team Manager and Executive Director for the British Indian Nurses Association, East of England. Samuel came to the UK in May 2016. He said: “Nursing was not my first choice, but over time it became my greatest one. I was asked to sit with a patient at the end of his life. I didn’t know what to say, so I said nothing, I just held his hand. Nurses are the constant.
“Summed up in three words - silent, unsupported, endurance. Silence has a cost, and every time a nurse speaks up a patient is safer. Speaking up should never be an act of bravery, it should be an act of culture.”
The event included a marketplace of stands with information about services, support and projects both from NSFT and other professional NHS bodies.
Following the conference, Chair of NSFT, Zoë Billingham said: “This was a really important day for the Trust. Bringing nursing colleagues together created such a strong sense of pride and connection. I am immensely proud of our nursing workforce.
“Across this Trust, we are a team of more than 5,000 colleagues, representing 76 nations from across the globe. That extraordinary richness of cultures, talents, lived experiences and perspectives is a daily gift to the care we provide our service users. It strengthens our decision‑making, deepens compassion and reflects the communities we serve. It is something we should celebrate loudly and often.”
Chief Nurse, Anthony Deery, said: “I was delighted to be joined by more than 350 nursing colleagues who all have one common purpose - to provide the best possible care to our patients and service users. The conference gave us a unique opportunity to connect, learn from one another and encourage development and growth to deliver safer, kinder and better care.
“Our speakers shared powerful and inspiring stories which left everyone feeling empowered and, at times, emotional.
“Most poignantly the event was held on International Nurses Day and we spent time celebrating our nurses, recognise their achievements, and thank them for all they do every day.”