When the World Health Organisation (WHO) announced 2020 as the International Year of the Nurse and Midwife to celebrate the 200th birthday of Florence Nightingale, little did the organisation realise that such an important celebration would be completely overshadowed by the global pandemic of Covid-19.
Many of us anticipated 2020 as a wonderful opportunity to highlight the central and invaluable role of nurses in palliative and end of life care and have felt somewhat thwarted in our ambitions as a result of the tsunami of demands related to the pandemic. Paradoxically, hospices and many other organisations involved in end of life care have played central roles in responding to Covid-19 and non Covid-19 related needs of people dying or bereaved at this time – arguably with an even greater public profile than before. With that in mind, what better place than to continue with the celebrations, albeit through a veil of fast-moving operational challenges and plans?
The programme shining a light on the work of palliative and end of life nursing is multi-faceted – showcasing present-day pioneers, supporting nurses through online training sessions each month, and sparking conversation on the topics that matter. St Christopher’s remain committed to highlighting the work of our nursing colleagues in hospices, care homes, hospitals and any other settings where they are caring for people coming to the end of their lives, supporting them in their endeavours, as well as their families.
Sadly our national conference in early May had to be cancelled due to Covid-19 restrictions.
Instead, we’re pleased to announce that we will be bringing a line-up of eminent speakers from across the UK and globally for nurses and others interested to spark discussion online. Each speaker will contribute to our programme of webinars and virtual masterclasses from the UK and across the world without charge. This has been made possible by the charitable funding we received and the speaker’s personal generosity. Sign up here to become part of our network of nurses, thinking and acting to support the profession as we face the challenges of Covid-19 and move beyond it.
St Christopher’s invite all nurses working across the UK and beyond to take part in a series of on demand presentations and webinars that celebrates nursing. Each presentation will be available online at a time that suits your working schedule. We will also be providing you with the opportunity to connect with some of the speakers virtually in a personalised way. The first on-demand session in our series is available on 12 May 2020 from 2pm, led by Pippa Gough, Executive coach and fellow of the Queen’s Nursing Institute. Please join us in learning more about strengthening and shaping your voice as a nursing professional.
You can follow our work on contemporary nursing by regularly checking our Education blog. Or, if YOU would like to offer a view on contemporary nursing at the end of life, we would love to hear from you and can provide a platform for you to do so.
Contact Project Lead, Marie Cooper on m.cooper@stchristophers.org.uk to find out more.
Take time now to help set the foundations in place for the future of the profession in end of life care. We need you!
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