Celebration for Nottinghamshire’s newest graduates

A special celebration has been held in Nottinghamshire for 10 newly qualified SPQDNs.

Nottinghamshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust staged the event this month to welcome back into practice graduates of the Specialist Practitioner Qualification in District Nursing following the end of their studies.

Claire Towne, General Manager Proactive and Planned Care – Community Nursing Community Health Services, said: “We wanted to mark our graduates’ return with something special to celebrate what they have achieved, their graduation and success in gaining a District Nurse post with us.  

“We marked the occasion with lunch for all the new SPQDNs and their assessors and supervisors, the clinical leadership team and our Assistant Director of Nursing and Director of Nursing.

“We felt it was important that they got the opportunity to informally meet their Senior Nurses in leadership roles to foster relationships and connect with them.

“The event was filled with laughter and chatter, with everyone connecting in what is geographically a large portfolio.”

The Trust launched its new bespoke SPQDN preceptorship portfolio this year.

Its creation formalised the Trust’s offer to its new District Nurses and pulls together national standards of preceptorship with advised learning and development for new managers and action learning for the first year post-qualification, all in a bespoke package.

Claire added: “Our aim is to meet again informally in six months to learn if the portfolio has been beneficial and to review its content.”