Advancing Nurse Leadership at the 2015 National Nursing Forum

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Now in its third year, the National Nursing Forum coming up on the 14-16 October at Brisbane’s Convention and Exhibition Centre has become our signature annual event, bringing together nurses from around the nation. This year’s theme Advancing Nurse Leadership will provide delegates with the perfect platform to learn, share insights and work together as a collective; so we, as nurses, can develop sound solutions to our country’s mounting health care challenges.

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For instance, I believe nurse leadership is the link to improving the current nursing workforce shortage and ensuring quality patient outcomes. With a large proportion of the current workforce entering retirement and many others leaving the field, nurse leaders working in all healthcare settings are well placed to create environments and cultures that support the retention of staff and improve care.
Nurse leaders also assist in overcoming other challenges currently being experienced within the Australian healthcare system, such as maintaining the productivity and cost-effectiveness of both nursing services and health services as a whole. As healthcare costs rise, and governments seek to contain expenditure and increase efficiencies across the entire healthcare system, nurse leaders provide advice, propose reforms, and demonstrate leadership on how to manage costs without reducing the quality of care provided.
Nurse leadership is critical as it is needed to inform the strategic direction of Australia’s health system and to drive the necessary changes within organisations. The availability and appropriate distribution of a nursing workforce with the right education, skills and experience underpins the delivery of healthcare across all settings.
As the national professional organisation for nurse leaders, our goal at the ACN is to nurture and support the nurse leaders of today and tomorrow, and our Forum is a critical component of being able to achieve this.
The 2015 National Nursing Forum aims to inspire and engage nurse leaders by offering numerous interactive workshops, inspiring keynote presenters, ample chances to spark stimulating discussions, it is also the opportunity to network and share ideas with colleagues and peers.
The mixture of speakers participating in this year’s Forum is significant, with Professor Anne Marie Rafferty, from King’s College London, leading the charge with her keynote Leveraging leadership for policy and system change. The former Dean of the Florence Nightingale Faculty of Nursing and Midwifery, Professor Rafferty’s presentation considers the pivotal role that strong nurse leadership plays in setting the culture and parameters for change. It argues that leadership is first and foremost a moral enterprise - not just doing things right, but doing the right things. One of the most anticipated seminar sessions at this year’s Forum, Professor Rafferty will draw on a wide range of evidence to demonstrate how nurses can leverage leadership for sustainable change.
Other keynotes include:
[caption id="attachment_13875" align="alignright" width="166"] Sue Hawes[/caption]
Sue Hawes, a nurse for over 30 years, specialising in working with children and young people with physical and intellectual disabilities; today Ms Hawes is a Director at PwC’s National Health Practice. A true professional who considers it a privilege to be a nurse, she believes every day is an opportunity to make a difference, to ask critical questions and practice the values that are core to who you are. Ms Hawes’ seminar Do you see what I see? Advancing nurse leadership highlights how a nurses’ ability to lead and influence, has never been more critical or more threatened.
“We need to use our expertise in healthcare in a different way and find our collective voice. Our conversations need to move from the problem to implementing the solutions. We need to seek out new opportunities and mobilise our ideas – quickly,” explains Ms Hawes.
[caption id="attachment_13874" align="alignright" width="184"] Diana Slade[/caption]
Professor Diana Slade’s session Better bedside handover communication: training nurses in the interactional and informational skills of well-structured patient centred handovers brings to the fore how ineffective communication between clinicians and patients remains a leading cause of avoidable patient harm across healthcare settings internationally. Having spent over 30 years’ experience in researching, teaching and publishing in applied linguistics, linguistics and organisational communication, Professor Slade is currently the Professor of Applied Linguistics and Director of the International Research Centre for Communication in Healthcare, University of Technology, Sydney and Hong Kong Polytechnic University.
[caption id="attachment_13872" align="alignright" width="232"] Alan Lilly[/caption]
Alan Lilly, CEO Eastern Health, talks about Lessons and reflections on leadership, where he will review the characteristics of successful leaders, provide insight on his own leadership journey, and conclude with some tips on what he believes are at the core and heart of successful leaders.
Last, but certainly not least, Veronica Casey, Executive Director of Nursing Services Metro South Health QLD is taking a stand with her session Advancing nursing leadership – trials, tribulations and transformation! Throughout the world, nurses are consistently rated as the most trusted profession, and are therefore accountable to ensure patients, families and communities receive the best possible healthcare. This presentation will reflect on the lessons learnt through one hospital’s journey to nursing excellence, and how transformational leadership can and did make a difference.
[caption id="attachment_13871" align="alignright" width="167"] Veronica Casey[/caption]
Having held numerous roles over her 35 years as a Registered Nurse and Midwife including clinical leadership roles, quality management and change management positions, Ms Casey has held executive leadership roles within Queensland Health and has served as the Executive Director of Nursing and Midwifery Services for the Metro South Hospital and Health Service since 2006.
The 2015 National Nursing Forum presents delegates with the opportunity to learn from those who spearhead the term ‘leadership’ in their respective fields. It provides the perfect platform for nurses to ask questions, raise ideas, and challenge themselves and others to advance their skills and knowledge of nurse leadership.
The National Nursing Forum, 14-16 October, Brisbane Convention & Exhibition Centre, Queensland. For more information, visit: www.acn.edu.au/forum_2015.
Article written by Carmen Morgan FACN, President of ACN