Today I travelled by train to Chester, to
the Cheshire and Wirral Partnership NHS Foundation Trust Learning
Centre. I attended a conference for nurses working in specialist
Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services. Our own College
Centre for Quality Improvement (CCQI) were an active
presence.
The day was well informed, with a wide range of workshops and
lively debates. It was interesting to hear that many nursing staff
shared the same core concerns as ourselves - about "cuts" in
services, and about how we enjoy our clinical work but find the
circumstances in which we try to carry out our core and shared
roles increasingly challenging.
Peter Carter, chief executive of the Royal College of Nursing, gave
an excellent talk in the afternoon which summed up the politics and
emerging outcomes of the current NHS. He talked about how as
professionals we need to ensure we have the knowledge and skills to
deliver safe efficient services, while ensuring we meet the needs
of service users and carers. To do this, we need to be heard across
the health professions as one voice.
Today, we submitted an interim report on Parity of Esteem to the
Ministerial advisory group. I’ve also received helpful
updates from our Chairs in Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales
about their achievements and the challenges they’ve faced over the
last 12 months. I will share more information about both of
these things at the International Congress
in Liverpool in 10 days time, where I hope to meet up with as
many members as possible.
Sue
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