BANES Integrated Community Nurse Conference 2022
Integration and celebration were the themes of the BANES Community Nurse Conference on 25th May 2022, which brought together 66 nurses working in the community.
The event was organised to celebrate nursing achievements, strengthen integrated working and promote the recruitment and retention of the nursing workforce. And the celebration was topped off with cake, balloons and some sparkly decorations!
We were very fortunate to be supported by some fantastic, inspirational speakers and there were promotional stands from the BSW Training Hub, BEMS, Dorothy House and the HCRG Wellbeing Team along with a representative from the UWE placements team, observing the brilliant work in the community to help forge new placements for future students.
Feedback on the event was brilliant, with many saying how great it was to celebrate and acknowledge what different teams do and wonderful to be able to learn about other services to encourage collaboration and more holistic care. All 66 attendees unanimously said that they would attend a future conference and there are already plans to repeat the conference and make it even bigger and better.
Kicking of the event was Sue Doheny, Regional Chief Nurse South West who delivered a hugely popular, motivational talk on the triumphs, successes and challenges of nursing and some of the opportunities for nursing at a regional level.
Gill May, Director of Nursing and Quality from the BSW CCG talked about the opportunities closer to home, including how nurses can access the BSW Integrated Care System.
Becky Wych Nurse Project Manager, BEMS+ & Practice Partner at Combe Down Surgery gave an overview of the role of nurses within primary care (in GP practices) and at PCN level, highlighting the varied roles involved.
Joanna Meacham, Head of Nursing BANES, HCRG Care Group covered the breadth of community nursing in BANES, including community hospitals, MIU, district nursing and specialist nursing services in HCRG Care Group. She also highlighted the career ladder opportunities and development of nursing at a community and specialist level.
And finally, Maggie Crowe, Director of Patient and Family Services gave a great overview of the role of Dorothy House and nurses in hospice care, which is about creating a society where death is part of life.
Throughout the day, the event hosted a series of hugely useful break-out sessions. Lively discussions include the following:
Holly Pollock, Lead Tissue Viability Nurse Specialist, HCRG Care group led a group that talked about involving multidisciplinary teams and the importance of good documentation.
Layonee Berry, Bladder and Bowel Service Clinical Team Lead, HCRG Care Group's session covered many areas including how effective simple changes can be and the need for guidance regarding early intervention.
Nicci Mawer, Respiratory Specialist and Practice Nurse and her group talked through the community services available for patients and where any gaps may lie, e.g.point of discharge from secondary care.
Nicholas Aplin, Community Frailty Nurse Practitioner for BaNES led a discussion on how to move from reactive acute care towards preventative proactive care, including looking at ways to better collaborate with peers.
We also had a very informative session on end of life care with Victoria Lear, Clinical Lead ‑ Community Palliative Care Team and Claire Morgan Clinical Nurse Specialist from Dorothy House.
The conference was as much a celebration of nursing and the fantastic work that nurses do, as an opportunity to meet and learn. As part of the day, the attendees were asked a series of questions about what it means to be a nurse and the results were all included in the delegate pack. Here's a taster below, which echoed the sentiment of the day. It's hard work but nurses love being nurses!
- Forming a relationship with my patients
- My amazing colleagues
- The support I receive from my colleagues
- The variety and choice of careers within nursing
- Opportunities
- Being able to make a difference and help people
- Making a difference to people's end of life at home
- The variety of the job
- My team
- The satisfaction at having helped someone
- The unpredictability of what I’m facing and when
