Wow – what a result in the women's football. What a truly fantastic match. I was getting lots of ‘GRL PWR’ text messages from those who know me well. Congratulations ladies! Absolute class.
And what, you may be thinking, does this have to do with wound care? There are some key words about achieving success, including motivation, commitment, strength, resilience, perseverance and leadership. These attributes are key for succeeding in football and certainly for delivering effective wound care.
Many people working in healthcare have been on a journey to get where they are and, for some, this will have been easier than for others. Each person has a unique story to tell. For some, this will have been easy and, for others, a real struggle. They may have faced personal challenges and perhaps, like me, they were told that they could never achieve what they wanted to.
Being informed and well-prepared is essential in both football and in wound care. Wound Care Alliance UK (WCAUK) is hosting a Wound Care Skills Day on Thursday 6 October 2022 at the Jubilee Conference Centre in Nottingham. The trustees will be speaking and as always there is a chance to catch up with us all. Book via the website (www.wcauk.org).
The National Wound Care Strategy Programme (NWCSP) held an Evidence for Wound Care online webinar in mid-July, focusing on the importance of research funded by the NHS for the NHS. The webinar stressed that the availability of treatments may be restricted or reduced if they are not supported by robust evidence. It highlighted the challenge of finding such evidence and encourages participation in research by both staff and patients. I am sure many of you will find it interesting and informative. It is available on the NWCSP website (https://tinyurl.com/hb55daaj).
Additionally, there are several downloadable resources for health professionals, patients and carers available from the NWCSP website (https://www.nationalwoundcarestrategy.net).
Whereas the focus of football is on winning, the aim is not the same in wound care; the focus is on achieving the best outcome. This may be healing, but may also be symptom management as in the case of patients receiving palliative care.
Just as in football, wound care can be exhausting and exhilarating, and I want to highlight the importance of being valued and recognised. For many years the WCAUK has supported the BJN Wound Care Nurse of the Year Award at the BJN Awards, which have been held in London annually and virtually during the pandemic. The awards recognise the dedication, hard work, commitment and passion of wound-care nurses and acknowledge the impact wound care has on patients' lives. The WCAUK is delighted to support the 2023 BJN Awards, which are open for entries now. I know from my conversations with many of you that you ‘do not do the job to win awards' and that you feel you ‘haven't done anything special’. However, many of you have achieved amazing patient outcomes, have been positive role models, have promoted best practices, have been inspirational and made significant and measurable service improvements. In many instances, the focus has been on patient care but there have also been benefits to the healthcare team personally and professionally. Winning is of course highly prestigious and I actively encourage you to consider applying. Please do consider the criteria for entry and focus on the measurable outcomes of your work as these really demonstrate your achievements.
So, football and wound care may have more in common than you thought. Being well-prepared, motivated, committed, having and demonstrating strength, being resilient, persevering and showing leadership are key skills and used wisely can achieve outstanding results. Congratulations to the lionesses, the managers, trainers and all those in the background who keep them going. The WCAUK looks forward to reading all your entries in the BJN Awards for 2023 and seeing how these skills have helped to change and improve wound-care practice.
I wish you all a happy summer and look forward to seeing you in Nottingham.