The first conference for nursing, midwifery and allied health professional educators in the Kent and Medway region was held at Maidstone Hospital – part of Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust (MTW) – on 20 November.

Titled ‘Break down the barriers – improving the patient experience through multi-professional education’, the conference was opened by Chief Nurse, Jo Haworth, and welcomed educators from further education colleges, higher education institutions and other NHS providers.

The event was led by practice development nurses Georgie Devaney and Emma Farmer, and gave attendees the opportunity to reflect on their roles as educators in their organisations. Guest speakers from across the region covered a range of topics including multi-professional restorative clinical supervision and T-levels in Kent and Medway.

It also featured panels on preceptorship and post-registration challenges, with audience members able to ask questions to educators from organisations across Kent and Medway, including Medway NHS Foundation Trust, East Kent Hospitals University NHS Foundation Trust and Canterbury Christ Church University.

A poster competition was held for attendees to showcase the multi-professional education programmes in their areas. MTW Non-Executive Director, John Hammond, had the difficult task of choosing the winner among some fantastic entries, and finally selected the team from East Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust and their poster showcasing multidisciplinary innovations in their organisation.

Speaking after the event, Jo Haworth said: “This inaugural conference presented an important opportunity for educators across Kent and Medway to share ideas and discuss future collaborations, with the aim of further developing multi-professional education across the region.

“By working together, we can ensure new generations of healthcare professionals have the support they need to meet their full potential and to develop their skills in providing high-quality care to our local communities.”