The hugely successful event, which was attended by more than 150 local nurses, doctors and healthcare professionals, was an opportunity to share innovations, best practice and learn from colleagues from within the Trust.
The conference kicked-off with a moving and thought-provoking discussion, courtesy of special guest James Titcombe OBE. A Patient Safety Specialist, James’ infant son, Joshua, died at University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay NHS Foundation Trust nine days after his birth in November 2008.
As a parent, James refused to accept the initial explanations he and his wife were given for Joshua’s death and made an official complaint about his treatment. Finally, in March 2011 a police investigation into Joshua’s death was launched, with serious failings discovered at the hospital as a result.
James draws heavily upon his own experiences in speaking, and is a passionate advocate for quality improvement in the NHS. His account was inspiring, and at times heart-wrenching, touching everyone in the room and provided further motivation for attendees to always provide the best possible care for patients, as well as underlining the need for transparency and the importance of learning from both positive and negative experiences.
Speaking about the event, James said: ““It was a real privilege to be invited to share Joshua’s Story with staff at the trust as part of the Sharing How We Care conference.
I was made to feel really welcome and very much appreciated the thoughtful comments and conversations with staff after my talk.
The agenda for the day was fantastic – it was great to see all the good work that is clearly happening at the trust towards improving the quality and safety of patient care.”
Afterwards, attendees gathered together to showcase exciting developments and take part in a series of informative workshops. These activities touched on everything from patient safety, to recent projects such as ‘Making Mealtimes Matter’ and a drive to ensure that patients have an uninterrupted, quality sleep when staying at hospital. Proceedings were then brought to a close by Trust Chair, Suzy Brain England OBE who summed up the conference with a few inspirational words and a further commitment to the Trust’s values of ‘We Care’.
In a joint statement, Richard Parker OBE, Chief Executive at the Trust, and Suzy Brain England OBE, Chair at the Trust, said: ‘’Once again, the Sharing How We Care Conference was a fantastic opportunity for colleagues from across our three main hospitals to come together, and share important innovations, practice and learning. The day was extremely well-received, with some great conversations and ideas which will continue for a long-time to come. We believe that the event is just one more example of why our Trust is such an extraordinary place to work and we’re already eagerly anticipating next year’s event.”
With a number of pledges made by attendees to ‘think differently’, the Sharing How We Care Conference will return next year.