Katrina Maclaine and Ruth Pearce attended the Queens Nursing Institute Annual Conference as guests of Hallam Medical. The theme of the conference was ‘Inspire, Innovate and Implement’. Keynote speakers included Jane Cummings – Chief Nursing Officer for England, Rob Webster – Chief Executive NHS Confederation, Christine Hancock – Founder and Director of C3 Collaborating for Health as well as a host of other well known names.

The conference was a platform for the launch of the QNI/QNIS’s Voluntary Standards for District Nurse Education and Practice. The voluntary standards have been developed through working with leading experts from across the UK and are designed to build on and enhance the NMC standards for specialist education and practice, not replace them. The proposal is that all education providers who currently offer the NMC approved Specialist Practice District Nurse programme adopt the QNI/QNIS voluntary standards for District Nurse Education and Practice. The standards are available from the QNI website. The voluntary standards have adapted the four domains or pillars that underpin advanced practice to articulate their practice standards.

The QNI/QNIS now aim to develop voluntary standards for GP nursing and AAPE-UK have asked for a seat at the table – watch this space!