Putting a spotlight on Learning Disability Nursing at Nursing Live
As well as a wide range of CPD content and sessions which all nursing staff can share in, Nursing Live also recognises that colleagues working in specific disciplines are keen to hear from practitioners who understand the unique challenges of their sector.
With Nursing Live’s advisory board including several learning disability experts, including Christine Walker, editor of Learning Disability Practice, and David Williams, Head of Learning Disabilities and Complex Needs for the Northern Care Alliance NHS Group, Learning Disability Nursing is one such specialism.
One of the key Learning Disability Nursing sessions to be hosted at Nursing Live will be entitled Improving care for ‘Inbetweeners’: supporting healthcare transition from children’s to adults’ services for young people with a learning disability.
Chaired by the RCN’s Professional Lead in Learning Disabilities, Jonathan BeeBee, this session will feature Dr Alison Tavaré, clinical co-ordinator with NCEPOD, and the South West’s clinical lead for NHS@Home and Learning Disability Collaborative, and Jacqui Rogers, Trust Transition Lead Nurse at the Alder Hey NHS Foundation Trust.
The panel, which will unpack NCEPOD’s ‘Inbetweeners’ report, and discuss its recommendations for improvements in areas like transition pathways, will also include Barbara Braithwaite; the mum of a young man with complex needs who will highlight how a young person can be put at the centre of care.
In addition, Nursing Live will have presentations on subjects like the positive impact genomics can have within the learning disability and autism space, and how hospitals can be made more neurodiverse-friendly.
There will also be talks closely related to certain learning disability issues such as safeguarding and self-harm. One of these will be Assessing, managing and preventing recurrence of self-harm in children and young people, which will be given by Dr Gemma Trainor, Associate Professor in Mental Health Nursing at the University of Salford.
And while there will be lots of other talks and presentations on offer at Nursing Live focused on specialist nursing disciplines, it’s anticipated that many delegates will greatly benefit from meeting colleagues from different nursing backgrounds to get new ideas and share valuable cross-sector insights.
Learning and Disability nurse Ross Sheridan, who works at the Alder Hey NHS Foundation Trust Children’s NHS Foundation Trust in Liverpool, said “At Nursing Live I’m looking forward to meeting all sorts of colleagues from every different avenue and sphere of nursing, sharing my experiences, and listening to others about theirs. I'm also really looking forward to learning about how innovation and entrepreneurship will shape future practice. What’s nursing going to look like in the next few years? How’s it going to develop? And how can we all collectively share in those experiences and development?”
The RCN’s Nursing Awards, which will run alongside Nursing Live in Liverpool this November, will also be showcasing Learning Disability best practice.
Finalists in the Learning Disability Nursing category include Southern Health & Social Care Trust, Derwen College, Catalyst Care Group, Cheshire & Wirral Partnership NHS Trust, and Southern Health NHS Trust. In addition, Paxton Green Health Centre, and Great Ormond Street Hospital, have been nominated in other categories with projects focused on improving outcomes and experiences for patients with disabilities.