How can we better support nurses through Covid-19?
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Nursing in the NHS is under pressure, a third of nurses in the NHS have considered leaving their role in the past year. When difficulties or concerns arise it is essential that nurses are supported in a positive way. This conference focuses on improving mental health and wellbeing in nursing, and supporting nurses experiencing difficulty or concerns at work. Through national updates, lived experience and case studies the conference will provide you with practical advice to enable you to better support nurses through the Covid-19 pandemic. The conference will highlight developments in supporting nurses through physical and mental health concerns, complaints, performance concerns, stress and fitness to practice. The conference will support you to improve processes and practice with regard to supporting nurses and the practicalities of managing concerns in a supportive way. Through national developments, learning from lived experience of nurses who have experienced concerns and mental health issues, and case studies from experienced Directors of Nursing at NHS Trusts on how to effectively support and manage nurses through complaints or concerns about nursing practice. There will also be an update on your role and responsibility with regard to the revised NMC fitness to practise procedures which put more emphasis on local resolution. The conference will also focus on improving mental health and wellbeing for nurses from BAME backgrounds.
“Even before Covid-19, nurses have had to contend with highly stressful jobs leading to high rates of mental illness. Nurses work in a range of settings, with high levels of individual responsibility and are often the primary contact for the patient and relatives, coordinating care and providing compassion at difficult times. Many nurses report high levels of stress and almost one quarter of sickness absence for nursing staff is due to anxiety, stress, depression, or other psychiatric illness. The level of suicidality in nurses is also estimated to be around 23% higher than the national average, with female nurses particularly affected.”
“During these challenging times it can feel overwhelming, and you may wonder how you are going to look after yourself in the months ahead. It can be difficult to maintain our mental health and wellbeing when coping with so much uncertainty and turmoil at home and at work.”
This conference will enable you to:
- Understand how you can better support nurses working under pressure during Covid-19
- Network with colleagues who are working to support nurses in difficulty due to mental health concerns and stress, complaints & concerns,
- stress, or physical health issues
- Reflect on national developments including understanding the implications of the new NMC fitness to practise process
- Learn from outstanding practice in supporting nurses in difficulty and improving wellbeing and resilience
- Learn from the lived experience of nurses who have experienced mental health issues
- Support positive mental health in nursing: changing the culture
- Improve practice to better support nurses from BAME backgrounds during Covid-19
- When concerns arise under fitness to practise understand what can be managed at a local level and what needs to go to the NMC
- Explore contextual factors surrounding mistakes and concerns at each stage of decision-making process
- Develop your skills in supporting nurses who have a physical or mental health issue including work related stress
- Identify key strategies for developmental support and mentoring
- Develop your skills in investigating performance concerns or complaints in a supportive way whilst ensuring patient safety and adherence to disciplinary and legal aspects of any investigation
- Self-assess and reflect on your own practice
- Gain CPD accreditation points contributing to professional development and revalidation evidence
