Colleagues from East Anglia’s Children’s Hospices (EACH) had the chance to showcase their work after being picked to speak at a national conference in Manchester.
Five members of the organisation’s care team, in addition to EACH Chief Executive Kevin Clements, were among 300 attendees at the annual, two-day Together for Short Lives event.
The theme was ‘Built to Last’ – looking towards a strong, sustainable future for children’s hospices and palliative care services – and among those to deliver inspirational presentations were Demi Brooks, EACH’s Clinical Education Lead, and Specialist Clinical Educator Laura Bunton.
Demi spoke about how her team is using nursing apprenticeships and trainee nursing associate apprenticeships to grow and invest in EACH’s workforce.
She said: “This is something I’m passionate about, and it was a fantastic opportunity to share my thoughts on a national stage.
“We strongly believe in helping our team flourish, and one of the things we’ve focused on is apprenticeship programmes.
“We’ve currently got three members of staff on a nurse associate programme, which means that in addition to working for us, they also go to university and complete placements elsewhere.
“They’ll be able to go on and do their nursing qualifications, and then, in four years, they’ll have gone from being care assistants to trained children’s nurses.
“We have another colleague who is training to become a qualified paediatric nurse, and we also recruited two newly qualified staff nurses last year. They’ve nearly completed their preceptorship programme, after which they’ll become fully-fledged nurses.
“These are great examples of how we support our staff, invest in them and ultimately help them develop.”
Demi and Laura were chosen out of hundreds of colleagues nationwide to share their experiences and deliver 20-minute PowerPoint presentations.
They spoke in ‘break-out’ rooms, and their talks proved especially popular, with a capacity audience wanting to hear their words of wisdom.
“We learnt lots of new things, and there was a great atmosphere throughout the two days,” added Demi.
“It was nerve-wracking, addressing so many people, but we love what we do and feel passionate about it.
“It was a privilege to be given such a coveted opportunity, and I felt proud to represent EACH.”
Laura spoke about the way EACH is working in collaboration with Integrated Care Boards (ICBs), helping develop an education programme that enhances care for families. In particular, she works closely with the Norfolk and Waveney ICB.
She has run training sessions for hundreds of nurses, healthcare assistants, play specialists, occupational therapists and physiotherapists, covering the basic principles of palliative care through to advanced care planning and bereavement support.
She has also been joined during the sessions by families currently being supported by EACH at The Nook.
“It was a fantastic experience and great from a networking point of view,” she said.
“Although slightly daunting, everyone was there to listen and learn and there were some great, valid questions at the end.
“Like Demi, I felt so proud to represent EACH.
“It makes you realise and appreciate the very high, national standards we’re already reaching, and this is just the start for us.
“We’re ambitious, and there’s so much more we want to do, to build and develop the team at EACH.
“That means improving the experience for our children and families and ensuring they receive the best possible care, which is ultimately what we’re all here for.”
