Attend our series of free webinars during 2023

The digitisation of health and care, including nursing, has been greatly accelerated by the coronavirus pandemic. Most organisations are now looking at how they can use digital technology more effectively.

Renewed focus at national and local level is demonstrated by the rapid appointment of chief nursing information officers by trusts and the chief nursing officer for England’s pledge to support every healthcare organisation to have one.

At the same time, roll-out of new technology is happening everywhere in the UK. Its widespread adoption across health and care settings means every nurse must become competent, to some degree, and embrace, or at least dip a toe in, the digital world.

One of the main technology challenges facing health and care organisations is getting buy-in from their nursing workforce and the need for leaders to inspire and guide staff on their digital journey.

Last year, we held our inaugural Nursing Times Digital Forum. This year, to build on its success, we have created a programme of events to help the growing digital nursing community to network, learn and share ideas throughout the year. A pathway of regular, free-to-attend webinars, designed to help support and inspire you and your staff to embrace digital transformation, will culminate in the 2023 Nursing Times Digital Forum.

Join us to explore important areas where digital transformation can have a positive impact such as patient flow, staff training and community care via virtual wards, as well as new policy developments like the Phillips Ives Nursing and Midwifery Review.

Meanwhile, as every nurse knows, nursing care requires high standards of proficiency at every touch point along the patient journey. In addition, nurses are expected to keep up with regular updates of UK nursing standards by the Nursing and Midwifery Council, along with maintaining all pre-existing clinical skills, in order to remain on the register.

However, with significant workforce pressures it can feel like a struggle for nurses to maintain their competency across all the clinical areas that are required.

As well as staff shortages and time pressures negatively affecting access to continuing professional development (CPD) for the majority, newly registered staff can also be challenged by poor placement experiences prior to qualifying and in some cases an inferior preceptorship.

Staying up to date with core competencies is an ongoing priority for all nurse managers and leaders, as well as nurses themselves, as gaps in clinical skills can translate into poor patient care and, ultimately, increase the risk of errors.

These events are designed to help nurse leaders to upskill their workforce, as well as to support less experienced nurses in learning about skills in certain areas that they
may lack confidence in at the moment.

This year, our nursing community will be able to learn about clinical skills with a year’s programme of webinars and an online conference.

The Nursing Times Clinical Skills Forum, which was held for the first time in 2022, will this year be complemented by regular, free-to-attend webinars, designed to ensure nursing staff have sufficient standards of proficiency to operate confidently, efficiently and safely.

Each webinar will focus on a specific clinical area, including infection prevention and control, tissue viability and wound care, continence, and medicine management and optimisation. The forum itself will then draw together a range of themes over the course of two days.

By attending these events, you will hear insightful presentations from senior nurses in that clinical area, as well as being able to ask questions and engage with other delegates.