The Queen's Nursing Institute (QNI) Annual Conference takes place next week, inviting community nurses to come together for four days of discussion. The online event aims to give nurses a platform to share their insights on community nursing and listen to expertise from industry leaders. This year’s theme is In the Spotlight: Nurses Leading Care in People’s Homes and Communities. The managing director of the QNI, Crystal Oldman, said feedback on previous years has been ‘overwhelmingly positive’ which is why the QNI ‘is again offering an opportunity for all nurses to join us online’.
Each day will focus on different aspects of community nursing, including evidence-based practice, workforce development, population health and sustainability, and integration. One highlight of the conference is a discussion with Community Nursing Research Consultant, Dr Ben Bowers, on the work of the QNI Community Nursing Research Forum. A UK-wide forum launched last year for nurses interested in community research, which aims to strengthen research opportunities within community-based nursing.
With recent concerns regarding the Government's new Workforce Plan, a whole day of the event will be dedicated to discussing the future and the successes of current nurses. In her column regarding the conference, Oldman has described the development of the future healthcare workforce as ‘the biggest challenge currently facing health and social care services today.' So there will be opportunity to hear the perspectives of the QNI’s International Community Nursing Observatory, the Nursing and Midwifery Council and the Council of Deans of Health on the workforce but also time to celebrate the innovative work current Queen’s Nurses are doing within local communities.
Excitingly, the conference will end on a talk from the writer of BBC series Call the Midwife Heidi Thomas and her husband, actor Stephen McGann, who stars in the show as Dr Patrick Turner. They will be describing the inspirations for the programme and how public health messages from the past have inspired health and social care services of today. ‘We are truly grateful for Stephen and Heidi for taking a break from filming to join us.’ The QNI Annual conference takes place online from the 2-6 October.