This guest blog, from my colleague Wendy Nicholson, Professional Officer for Nursing focuses on developments in District Nursing
This week I attended a celebration of the Queen’s Nursing Institute (QNI) 125th Anniversary. As soon as I arrived I felt a real buzz of anticipation from around 200 community nurses in attendance. The event was a huge landmark for QNI as it also introduced their new Director – Crystal Oldman, and a milestone for our work. Earlier this year we started out on an incredible journey with QNI, our strategic partners, to develop a new vision for district nurses. The event was a fantastic way to share the ‘strategy on a page’.
We have worked with some amazingly passionate District Nurses and members of wider community nurse family to develop the draft vision. They have been pivotal to our journey. I would like to extend a huge vote of thanks to all the practitioners, managers, educationalists and commissioners who have given their time, shared their thoughts, desires and ambition for the profession, capturing the uniqueness of their service to shape a shared vision.
Those involved in the work told me they were really proud and felt a great sense of ownership of the vision and an opportunity to lift and inspire the profession.
We have set the vision in the context of the national nursing, midwifery and care giver strategy, and tested this with passionate members of our task groups and focus groups who set out the challenges whilst seeking good practice and solution focussed approaches. See the Draft model of Community Nursing for Improved Health and Wellbeing
The initial feedback has been overwhelming, supportive, positively challenging, encouraging and thoughtful. I want to maintain the momentum and hear from District Nurses about their views. Please get in touch with your views on, for example, how it works with #6Cs, any ideas, experiences and innovation to spur future development by 16th November – and shape your vision for district nursing.
Wendy Nicholson
Follow me on Twitter @WendyJNicholson