Q) What are the achievements that you are most proud of this year?
It's been a big opportunity to have a director of nursing for public health nationally. The role acts across the DH and PHE with nursing teams working jointly to achieve success. Our first big challenge was to increase the visibility of nurses outside of hospitals - to create a new narrative around why nurses are so important in improving health and wellbeing, as well as providing care when people are ill. We are raising the profile and public health nurses have been recognised across all of the award ceremonies this year.
Some specific achievements include work with the QNI and RCGP around supporting carers. Particularly vulnerable are young carers, and we have a large number of them in this country. There have been competitions, badges, and trained school nurses to support young carers and that's been excellent. Also, supporting LD nurse consultants to produce the excellent health equalities framework. I am particularly delighted with the work that was done in partnership across NHS England and PHE on the early years profiles and on six high impact areas where health visiting services and teams really make a difference.
Finally, the work we have done with school nursing has been amazing. It is a very small profession vital for improving and protecting the health of children and young people through the school nurse development plan.
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