Nursing in the Community Celebrated in Lincolnshire

The diversity of roles and specialist skills that are required to nurse in the community continues to evolve.

These skills are often unique not only to the setting but to the profession. As leaders, we are passionate about nursing in the community, the role is plays in the health and social care system, the lives it touches, the positive outcomes for individuals and communities.

We had a vision to showcase Nursing in the Community in Lincolnshire and raise its profile across the health and care system. We applied to Health Education England for funding and this enabled us both to celebrate International Nurses Day and hold the first ever Lincolnshire Community Nursing conference on Friday 12^th May at the New Life Centre in Sleaford.

The aims of the conference were to:

• Enable emerging ICB and ICS leaders to engage with community nursing and articulate its essential role in delivering the NHS Long Term Plan
• Engage with regional and national leaders
• Recognise the community nursing workforce is wider than NHS providers and represented by a wealth of talent and experience within primary care, public health, third sector and social care
• Raise the profile and celebrate Nursing in the Community
• Share and showcase best practice
• Support retention and recruitment
• Showcase the attractive fulfilling and flexible careers within community nursing to a current and aspirant workforce
• Articulate Lincolnshire community nurses’ contributions to delivering the England’s Chief Nursing Officer, Dame Ruth May’s priorities: workforce and people, system leadership and integration, health equity, prevention and population health management and person-centred practice and improving outcomes.

The day was a huge success, and we were delighted that Chief Nurse for Lincolnshire Community Health Services and United Lincolnshire Hospitals, Professor Karen Dunderdale, kindly agreed to host the event.  We were joined by further inspirational nurse leaders as guest speakers, including the National Deputy Director of Community Nursing for NHS England Sam Sherrington, Midlands NHS England Director of Nursing Sylvia Knight, Midlands Chief Nursing Office Priorities Manager Yvonne Gough and Lincolnshire ICB Chief Nurse Martin Fahy and Deputy Chief Nurse Vanessa Wort. Together they energised the room with the current work that is happening nationally, regionally and locally and celebrated the diversity of roles that reflects nursing in the community and our essential position in delivering the NHS Long Term Plan.

Four workshops were also held that were aligned to Dame Ruth May’s priorities. These created a tangible buzz from the participants who shared their excitement in celebrating current work and innovations, with further opportunities to engage and develop solutions based on their clinical expertise and knowledge of delivering care in the community. The conference also generated a powerful opportunity to network, explore and take away ideas that will continue to influence future transformations and relationships.

The event saw representation from all four branches of nursing, supported by clinical leaders representing AHP colleagues and Higher Education professionals. Mentimeter feedback demonstrated that delegates appreciated the opportunity for nursing in the community to have a voice and be celebrated, with a consensus that the learning would positively impact on their practice. There was also a real sense of pride in the professionalism, collaboration, passion and innovation that nurses in the community achieve in their work every day.

The day was bought to a close with a commitment from the senior ICB Nurse Leaders to continue to celebrate nursing in the community with a further conference in 2024, with opportunities to collaborate further with other nurses in the Integrated Care System enabling wider engagement from other health and social care nurses.

Reflecting on the day makes us extremely proud to be part of a community that goes above and beyond to achieve amazing outcomes for the patients, families and communities we serve. We look forward to celebrating next year’s conference and continuing to raise the profile of nursing in the community, ensuring the skills and knowledge of nurses who work in the community are recognised and used to their fullest potential.

Main photo above, left to right: Tracey Key (Administrator), QNs Janine Gargett, Sam Sherrington, Kerry Bareham