Nurses urged to attend Health and Care Innovation Expo 2015

Nurses are being invited to attend an annual healthcare conference in Manchester so they can share ideas and best practice on a range of nursing-related issues including tackling child sexual exploitation.

The Health and Care Innovation Expo 2015, to be held on September 2/3, is expected to draw 5,000 delegates from across the different sectors, including health and social care, voluntary and local government, as well as from private companies.

Chief nursing officer for England Jane Cummings will be among the key speakers alongside health secretary Jeremy Hunt and NHS England chief executive Simon Stevens.

Ms Cummings urged nurses to attend this year’s conference because there will be a series of specific nursing-related sessions and workshops. Sessions include the integrated care of frail older people, supporting staff who are carers, using technology to improve care, encouraging positive behaviour change and ill health prevention.

Expo, which is supported by RCNi, will also involve a half day for nurses on the care of people with learning disabilities, which will include a focus on patient safety and seeking patient feedback.

‘It will also include the nitty gritty about what it means to have a learning disability and how we can provide better care for them,’ said Ms Cummings. 'It is a huge piece of work because understanding the needs of people with learning disabilities is important for everyone. Whether a nurse works in an acute hospital, mental health services or the community, they will meet people with a learning disability, so understanding their needs is important.’

The event will also include a workshop on tackling child sexual exploitation (CSE), in which nurses will be able to hear a compelling account of the murder of Julie Warren-Sykes’ daughter Samantha. Ms Warren-Sykes wants to ensure victims of CSE are heard and remind healthcare staff and leaders of the importance of listening to children and young people.

Ms Cummings said: ‘She will talk about how we can identify people at risk and how we can support them to prevent the tragedy that happened to her daughter.

‘From a nursing point of view, whatever field of practice you work in, understanding this issue is not something we would get access to unless we work in a safeguarding role, but tackling child sexual exploitation is everyone’s business.’

The winners of the Kate Granger Awards for Compassionate Care will also be announced at Expo.

There were 98 entries for this year's awards, which have been named after Kate Granger, the terminally ill doctor who is campaigning to raise awareness around compassion in the NHS.

Free tickets are available for nurses with this code: NUREXP1.

To register go to the Health and Care Innovation Expo website