Celebrating Nursing Associates in the South West 2024

From bridging a gap to marking the new roadmap of care
Jenita Loheswaran - Nursing Associate

  • Sherwell Centre and Rolle Building, University of Plymouth, Drake Circus, Plymouth PL4 8AA

  • Petroc, North Devon Campus, Old Sticklepath Hill, Barnstaple, Devon EX31 2NQ

Save event
Nursing Associates bridge the gap between healthcare assistants and registered nurses and are an integral part of the nursing family, supporting healthcare teams with their clinical and administrative duties. 
Once qualified, a Nursing Associate may work across a wide range of healthcare settings, including acute or community hospitals (across a range of clinical areas), community nursing teams and GP practices.
The University's FdSc Nursing Associate team is delighted to host this event to recognise and celebrate the vital roles that Nursing Associates play within our healthcare community. 
Delegates are invited to attend from students, alumni and employers of Nursing Associates/Apprentices, among others. 
Poster competition
A poster competition on the theme of being creative with our students will be held as part of this event. If you wish to produce your own poster (A0 portrait) to display at the conference venue, or design an electronic poster to be hosted on the University of Plymouth website, please contact events@plymouth.ac.uk. 
There is the option of attending the event at the University of Plymouth or Petroc in North Devon by completing one of the forms below.
• Register attendance at the University of Plymouth
• Register attendance at Petroc
On the day, registration is open from 08:15 for a 09:00 start. We aim to finish around 16:45.

Follow us on Twitter: #CNASW24 

Previous June 2024 Next
Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat Sun
27
28
29
30
31
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
 

Draft agenda | University of Plymouth

Keynotes – Sherwell Centre, University of Plymouth

08:15–08:45 | Arrival, registration and refreshments (Conference Committee Team)
08:45–09:00 | Welcome and housekeeping (Ian Sherriff BEM, Academic Partnership Lead for Dementia, Peninsula Medical School, University of Plymouth)
09:00–09:30 | Keynote speech: The Mitigation of Risk and Scope of Practice in relation to Nursing Associates (Sam Donohue, Assistant Director, Nursing and Midwifery Council)
09:30–09:50 | Keynote speech: Title tbc (Dr Rachel Tims, Clinical Training and Education Senior Specialist – Nursing and Midwifery, NHS England South West)
09:50–10:10 | Keynote speech: Title tbc (Paige Barsby, Nursing Associate Practice Educator, Somerset NHS Foundation Trust)
10:30–11:00 | Refreshments
11:00–11:16 | Keynote speech: The Role of the Nursing Association in the One NHS Team and the Benefits It's Bringing (Stuart Tuckwood, UNISON National Officer for Nursing)
11:15–11:45 | Keynote speech: Nursing Associates in Critical Care – Network Projects and Local Experiences (Ruari Cassidy, Lecturer in Clinical Intercalation, School of Nursing and Midwifery, University of Plymouth, and Elaine Morley, Network Critical Care Non-Medical Workforce Fellow) 
12:00–12:30 | Keynote speech: Title TBC (Liam Barnes, Founder, Laura Hyde Foundation)
12:30–13:15 | Lunch, Nursing Associate poster judging and stands (Sharon Russell)

Breakout sessions – Rolle Building, University of Plymouth

13:15, 14:15, 15:15 – workshop choices will be sent to you to pre-book closer to the conference
  • Breakout workshop session 1 | Poetry in Healthcare
  • Breakout workshop session 2 | Title tbc (Martyn Davey, Nursing Associate, General Practice, East Quay Medical Centre)
  • Breakout workshop session 3 | Coaching or Wellness Session (Sara Hawkins, Lecturer in Adult Nursing, School of Nursing and Midwifery, Faculty of Health, University of Plymouth)
  • Breakout workshop session 4 | Poster session (venue: Sherwell Centre)
  • Breakout workshop session 5 | Guide tour of the University of Plymouth or Petroc campus (University of Plymouth Student Ambassadors)
  • Breakout workshop session 6 | Title tbc (Amanda Holland, UK Educational and Field Technical Services Manager, Laerdal Medical)

Conference close – Sherwell Centre, University of Plymouth

16:15–16:45 | Conference close and evaluation, Nursing Associate Pledge for display

Speaker biographies

Ian Sherriff BEM, Academic Partnership Lead for Dementia, Peninsula Medical School, University of Plymouth
Ian Sherriff BEM is a member of the Prime Minister's Dementia Friendly Communities Challenge Group with his role on this group as Chair of the South and South West of England. He stepped down as a trustee after six years on the Alzheimer’s Society national board and is now a National Ambassador for the Society. He is a founder member of the Plymouth Dementia Alliance and Dementia Friendly Parishes around the Yealm. Ian is the Chair of the Prime Minister's Rural Dementia group also Chair of the Prime Minister's National Air Transport Hidden Disability group. 
Ian is the driving force behind the 14 successful Plymouth international dementia conferences. He is the Chair of the Plymouth Dementia Action Alliance which won a national award of "Dementia Friendly City of the Year". Ian is currently working with researchers from China, Japan Tanzania, Ghana and Nigeria on dementia projects. 
Ian launched the first dementia friendly community in Italy and was a keynote speaker at the Tokyo and Osaka dementia conferences. 
Ian is on the board of Blind Veterans UK and Bravo Victor /BRAVO VICTOR USA. He was a keynote speaker at the Alzheimer's Disease International (ADI) conference in Krakow Poland dementia conference in 2024. Ian is an active member of the British Standards Organisation and International Standards Organization where he is part of a team writing the international standard for “Needihoods that Care” and the ISO standards for Dementia Inclusive Communities. He is leading the UK’s response to dementia in Ukraine supported by the WHO and the Ukrainian lead for dementia. 

Liam Barnes, Founder, Laura Hyde Foundation
Liam Barnes is the founder of the UK's leading mental health charity for our healthcare workers and wider emergency services. He set up the Laura Hyde Foundation in 2018 as a response to losing his cousin Laura to suicide.
The Laura Hyde Foundation is the UK’s ONLY charity dedicated to providing mental health support for our emergency services. Roles covered include nurses, doctors, GPs, paramedics, midwives, healthcare assistants, fire, police and care workers. Set up in 2018 following the suicide of Laura Hyde, the charity has grown to a truly national level charity with representation in over 98% of hospitals across the UK. We are trusted by our audience to deliver the right support when others may not. The Laura Hyde Foundation provide mental health training and counselling support for those that require it, offering over 20,000 hours of free to access, clinically supervised and independent support each and every month. They care for those who care about us.
Liam is extremely passionate about working with NHS management to deliver robust wellbeing support structures and would love to see how the Laura Hyde Foundation's significant independent and free resources can assist in this.

Ruari Cassidy, Lecturer in Clinical Intercalation, School of Nursing and Midwifery (Faculty of Health), University of Plymouth
"After completion of my training at Argyll and Clyde School of Nursing and Midwifery I worked as a D grade in respiratory medicine and coronary care before moving to critical care.
I gained clinical experience in critical care and cardiothoracic critical care from D grade through to Charge Nurse across Dorset, Devon, Yorkshire and Manchester before holding posts as a practitioner within critical care outreach, practice education and as ICU Matron.
More recently I have brought this experience into an academic role as a Lecturer in Clinical Intercalation at the University of Plymouth.
My areas of interest are in urgent and critical care, high dependency care education for midwives as well as strategic and humanistic leadership. I have also had national working group input with ICU inclusion/exclusion criteria."

Martyn Davey, Nursing Associate, General Practice, East Quay Medical Centre
Martyn Davey is a Nursing Associate working in general practice in Somerset. Being part of the inaugural wave of Nursing Associates in 2017, Martyn has been actively advocating for this pivotal role in the NHS since its announcement. 
Martyn is passionate about spreading awareness and understanding of the Nursing Associate profession, hosting his own podcast called 'Just a Sharp Scratch.' On 'Just a Sharp Scratch,' he delves into the complexities of healthcare, sharing insights, stories and interviews with fellow professionals. Various topics relevant to nursing associates and the broader healthcare community are explored through engaging discussions. Martyn created a national Student Nursing Associate and Registered Nursing Associate Facebook page, providing a platform for collaboration, support, and resource sharing within the community. Join Martyn as we journey through the world of healthcare, literature and beyond. Let's connect and continue the conversation.
Outside of healthcare, Martyn is an avid fan of Harry Potter and Batman, immersing himself in the magical world of Hogwarts and the dark streets of Gotham. 

Sara Hawkins, Lecturer in Adult Nursing, School of Nursing and Midwifery, Faculty of Health, University of Plymouth
"I am Sara Hawkins, mum of three, retired Army Major, three decades of nursing in the operating theatres speciality. I draw upon my experiences as a leader and healthcare worker to lecture at the University of Plymouth on programmes from Nursing Associate to postgraduate level. I completed my MA in Education in 2021 with a focus on coaching and supporting development in others. 
My current roles include deputy programme lead Foundation Degree, Practice Development Lead for Somerset and Bath. 
I have a LinkedIn profile and website www.thedandelionmoon.co.uk
My passions are coaching and helping support other people's development, outdoor activities and complementary medicine."

Elaine Morley, Network Critical Care Non-Medical Workforce Fellow
Elaine Morley is originally from Lancashire and trained within South Manchester qualifying in 1989. Elaine worked clinically around Manchester Acute Medicine, Intensive care and Education. Elaine relocated to Cornwall 1998 and gained a position in intensive care. Over the subsequent years she worked collaboratively with the University of Plymouth and had dual roles as a Lecturer Practitioner. 
From 2017, she was successful in gaining an Operational/Educational 80/20 split Band 7 on Critical care at RCHT. COVID happened and currently her role is an integrated approach to support training, skills and assessment. This is a dual contract with the Community Trust and the Acute Trust as Educational Lead for Critical care and Lead Clinical facilitator for complex skills in the community. This supports both trusts in Cornwall, and facilitates and supports clinical staff to manage the patients in their clinical setting.

Stuart Tuckwood, UNISON National Officer for Nursing
Stuart Tuckwood is a registered Adult Nurse and the National Officer for Nursing at UNISON, the UK’s largest healthcare trade union.
Having worked overseas in Latin America and Myanmar, Stuart practised clinically in neurosurgery, major trauma and critical care outreach at Addenbrooke’s Hospital in Cambridge before taking up his role at UNISON.
Stuart has a professional diploma in Tropical Nursing, as well as an MSc in Public Health from the University of London and has spent time as a Director at the Florence Nightingale Foundation. 
Campaigns and priorities that Stuart leads on for UNISON include safe staffing levels, ethical international recruitment and improving preceptorships for new registrants.
 

Event photography and video

Please be aware that some of the University of Plymouth's public events (both online and offline) may be attended by University staff, photographers and videographers, for capturing content to be used in University online and offline marketing and promotional materials, for example webpages, brochures or leaflets. If you, or a member of your group, do not wish to be photographed or recorded, please let a member of staff know.