Inaugural KHP Conference
On Friday 10th May 2013 the Florence Nightingale School of Nursing and Midwifery, King’s College London, hosted the inaugural King’s Health Partners Nursing and Midwifery Conference. The event, entitled Nursing and Midwifery Across Boundaries: Inspire, Demonstrate, Celebrate, attracted nearly 200 clinical and academic staff, as well as nursing and midwifery students.
Welcoming delegates to the event, Professor Sir Robert Lechler, Executive Director of King’s Health Partners, said:
“I am delighted to be able to join you at the first conference of King’s Health Partners nurses and midwives. You are all part of our shared ambition to become one of the top ten Academic Health Science Centres in the world. Your contribution is essential in helping us to create the culture, lead improvements in patient experience and lead innovation. Our first class nursing and midwifery community will play a crucial role in driving forward the vision and I hope that today is the first of many such events that celebrate our achievements and help us to engage with each other in future collaborations.”
King’s Health Partners is one of only five Academic Health Science Centres (AHSC) in England and brings together King’s College London with three successful NHS Foundation Trusts: Guy’s and St Thomas’, King’s College Hospital and South London and Maudsley. The AHSC aims to make sure that the lessons from research are used more swiftly, effectively and systematically to improve healthcare services for people with both physical and mental healthcare problems.
The conference offered the opportunity to showcase some of the excellent work being carried out by nurses and midwives in KHP, including research projects and innovations in practice that have had real benefits for patients. Professor Donna Havens, Visiting Professor at the Florence Nightingale School of Nursing and Midwifery, gave the Keynote Address, and spoke about her research into the impact of the nursing work environment on outcomes for both patients and staff.
Professor Helen McCutcheon, Head of the Florence Nightingale School of Nursing and Midwifery, said:
“The conference was a fantastic celebration of our collaboration and emphasised the positive impact we are having for patients. Many people told me how inspired and energised they felt from hearing colleagues talk about their work and there was certainly a shared sense of pride in our professions.
“We finished the day with the second King’s Health Partners mentor awards, which recognise those nurses and midwives who go above and beyond their role to create a positive learning environment for our students. It was a privilege to be able to celebrate with the winners, their friends and families, and the students who nominated them, and it was a very fitting end to an uplifting day.”
Professor Donna Havens gives Keynote Address
KHP Mentor Award Winners