NHS England Director of Nursing attends Health Sciences event to mark the ‘New NHS’
Hilary Garratt, NHS England Director of Nursing, attended a collaborative event organised by the University of Southampton marking the beginning of the ‘New NHS’ commissioning structure.
In partnership with the newly formed Thames Valley and Wessex Leadership Academy (TVWLA), this was the first collaborative event between our University and the TVWLA, and the first event for the TVWLA in its new form.
Bringing together 39 nurse leaders from across the South of England, our event explored the national vision for nurses with Hilary Garratt providing the plenary speech on the role of the nurse leader in the New NHS.
NHS England Wessex Director of Nursing, Sarah Elliott, also took part in a panel debate which explored balancing financial pressures with improvement of care and compassion in the NHS in the wake of the Francis inquiry.
Attending nurse leaders represented all levels of the new NHS structure and included clinical practitioners, quality experts, CCG Nurse Board Members and directors of nursing amongst other professionals.
The participants took part in several interactive sessions which encouraged networking and idea generation.
Health Sciences academics Dr Julie Cullen and Liz Thiebe, who co-designed and delivered the event with the TVWLA and Wessex Deanery colleagues, said: "The event was a huge success with participants energised throughout the day to develop their knowledge and skills further.
"With inspiration from Hilary Garratt and Sarah Elliott we were able to identify learning and development needs for this group of nurse leaders who are preparing for current and future challenges."
A follow up event with the TVWLA is expected later in the year.