A team of specialist practitioner students at Buckinghamshire New University (BNU) will be highlighting the hidden cost of the COVID-19 pandemic at an event next week.

Students who are undertaking their District Nurse, Community Children’s Nurse, Health Visitor and School Nurse Specialist Practitioner training at BNU will be holding an online conference on Wednesday 15 September from 10-3pm.

Community Children’s Nurse Colette Smith said: “Apart from the obvious impact the pandemic has had on both society and the NHS, there has been a hidden cost to patients, their families, and those working in health and social care. One guest speaker, a parent, whose child was hospitalised during the Covid-19 pandemic, will discuss the challenges she experienced navigating the Covid-19 rules and the emotional difficulties caused by only one parent being able to stay with a hospitalised child”.

This event will be of interest to anyone who works within a health or social care setting. The aim of the conference is to gain a better understanding of the impact of Covid-19 on different communities across the lifespan.

Guest speakers will be covering a range of topics such as the experience of breastfeeding during the pandemic, how patients, clients and children were supported by dedicated community nursing teams as well as an exploration of the hidden costs of the pandemic on the wider community and the nursing profession.

Key- note speakers include:

• Neil McDonald: Chief Executive of Buckinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust
• Emma Fitzpatrick-Bird: Representative from the Covid-19 Team at Buckinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust
• Kim Slee: Children’s Community Nursing Team Respite Services – Berkshire Care Foundation Trust East
• Izzy: Service User- Transitioning to parenthood during a pandemic
• Fran Chamings: West Berkshire Food Bank
• Katriona Kennedy: Lead Nurse, Buckinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust

To sign up to the event visit Eventbrite and you will receive the MS Teams link 24 hours before the event. Please don't share the link between friends and colleagues, ask them to sign up via this page to ensure they receive the correct information.