On 15 and 16th March 2017, I attended the annual CNO summit that brought together the country’s most senior nurses, midwives and care leaders. The two day event had fantastic representation from across the country which included discussions with eminent speakers such as Simon Stevens Chief Executive NHS England and Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt. 

Professor Jane Cummings, Chief Nursing Officer for England, presented the importance of the role of nurses in leading change and adding value in healthcare. Jane amplified the importance of the role of nurses in influencing changes to the landscape with the Sustainability & Transformation Plans and the future of the NHS. This also highlighted the issues that nurses face in retaining and developing a skilled and compassionate workforce.   

Keeping the patient at the heart of everything we do can be seen in the NHS England commissioned poem “Last 1000 days” by Molly Case. This poem emphasises that while we work in the time pressured environment of the NHS, whether that is primary care, acute care or commissioning, the time we waste is nothing to the loss of valuable time for our patients. 

It is important as care providers that our services are meeting the needs of our patients, and not patients meeting the needs of our services. We should always ask “What would matter to you“, to focus a response that is at the heart of what our patients need and want. 

- Mandy Philbin 

  Deputy Chief Nurse, NHS Sheffield CCG