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unwell, they then bypassed the queue. We had been given cultural training prior to deployment so knew what to expect and had learnt some basic Swahili. The communities were extremely welcoming and grateful for the healthcare delivered and we were privileged enough to be invited to a tribal wedding – a once in a lifetime experience!
The final phase had an educational focus and was in partnership with the Kenyan Red Cross. We had extremely rewarding experiences including setting up ad hoc teaching sessions for the local children. Simple hand washing skills are something we take for granted but are unfamiliar to them. We had a group of about 20 children who all appeared to be under the age of ten. We set up some basins with water, soap dispensers and blue roll. We then demonstrated what to do
using the WHO 5 Moments guidelines and allowed them all to have a go. The happiness and enjoyment on their faces was indescribable and an experience I’ll never forget! Many of them came through the station several times just so they could keep practising. We also got invited by the local priest to attend Mass and then teach the congregation afterwards. We set up three stands which were dental hygiene, hand washing and basic wound care and we had groups of teenage school children and ladies from the congregation. They thoroughly enjoyed it and participated fully.
Overall the deployment was a privilege to be part of and the learning opportunities were invaluable. I would encourage any nurse who gets the opportunity to grab it with both hands!
Captain Nicola Dunlop 253 (NI) Medical Regiment
Captain Nicola Dunlop with local children
THE GAZETTE QARANC 23
The Surgeon General Presentation at the Royal College of Nursing Congress 2018
The Defence Nursing Forum (DNF) was honoured to host a lecture by Surgeon General (SG), Lieutenant General Bricknell, on the contribution of military nursing to wider healthcare, at the 2018 Royal College of Nursing (RCN) Congress. The SG highlighted the uniqueness of military nursing, in the asymmetric warfare arena where the level of threat is uncertain; the austere environments expected in war but also in Defence Engagement activities; the fact the patient has no family nearby, the extended skills required of the nurse and the unusual patient origin and mechanism of injury. He applauded the advances in nursing made by those on the front line in the Crimean and Boer wars, through to present day and the threads that run throughout: holistic care, professionalism, evidence and education. The SG celebrated the success of military nursing in the achievement of equal opportunities, academic development, clinical leadership, extended roles and international engagement.
The RCN DNF, chaired by Major Chris Carter, represents forum members by working with the Royal College and other organisations to develop guidance documents spanning all clinical specialities within Defence, such as the recent ‘Transitional Aide Memoire’ (TAM) a professional resource for nurses new to Defence. The TAM was an RCN funded collaborative project between the DNF and Birmingham City University to provide additional information to ease the transition into Defence nursing. Defence Nursing Services subject guides are easily accessible via the forum membership webpage1. This particularly helpful collection of relevant and current MoD publications includes: The Chavasse Report, Raising the bar: Improving Armed Forces and Veteran Care, The Operational Patient Care Pathway and Allied Joint Doctrine for Medical Support and the MoD; The 2017 Mo
Defence Nurse Advisor, Captain Hofman Royal Navy, Surgeon General, Lieutenant General Bricknell and Chief Nursing Officer (Army), Colonel McCourt
Report on Mental Health in the UK Armed Forces. The forum provides opportunities to network by providing study events and conferences with other forums working in similar areas. The ‘For Queen and Country Exhibition’ to better represent the membership, the DNF would like to encourage a greater diversity of Defence nurses to join the steering group, particularly JNCOs and SNCOs; applications on the RCN Forums page open after the May Congress each year.
The SG and DNF Forum members had the pleasure to attend an RCN reception at the Titanic Belfast Maritime Museum and prior to an inspirational Northern Ireland Network presentation on the November 15 terrorist attacks in Paris by Dr Yordanov who coordinated his hospital’s response. Dr Yordanov has expressed his interest in presenting at the Chief Nursing Officer (Army) Symposium next year, 26/27 March 2019.
1 https://www.rcn.org.uk/library/subject-guides/defence-nursing-services
Lieutenant Colonel Debra Ritsperis QARANC