Nurses’ leading role in care
By Rosie Winters, Nurse Practitioner - Older Adult,
Tauranga Hospital.
In August I had the opportunity to attend the
10th ICN NP/APN Conference in Rotterdam,
where I also had the privilege of presenting on
the Acute Flow Improvement work our staff has
done in ED and APU at Tauranga Hospital.
The aim of the conference was to explore nurses’ leading role in
the transformation of care, with a particular focus on universal
health coverage, the Sustainable Development Goals and human
resources for health.
More than 1500 nurse practitioners and advanced practice nurses
from 50 countries attended, providing a valuable opportunity
to learn about the challenges facing nurse practitioners and
advanced practice nurses internationally and the vital role of
nurses as leaders in transforming health care services.
The Stichting Humanitas, De Leeuwenhoek - Multi-cultural care home in Rotterdam
“Take your place at the table” was a clear message - challenging
nurses to develop their leadership role and to influence the
political agenda at a local, national and international level. Another
theme was inter-professional collaboration and co-creation in
order to develop integrated healthcare services that facilitate a
wellness and participatory approach to health.
Whilst there, I also took the opportunity to visit a local care home
in Rotterdam, “Stichting Humanitas, De Leeuwenhoek”, which
was truly inspiring. This care home exemplified a model of care
that looks to the wellbeing of individual residents and treats them
with warmth, care, respect and a feeling of welcome. The care
manager explained to me, that, “The clients [with mental health
issues] get a lot of attention and conversation which means [their
behaviour doesn’t] escalate, and they need less medication.” The
art therapy room in the care home was vibrant and full of activity
with the client’s art beautifully framed and displayed throughout
the home.
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The vibrant art room in the care home.