Let the voices of specialist nurses be heard

Every year in December I wonder where the year has gone—it may be an age thing, but this year time has definitely got the better of me!

The year has been jam-packed, with the Association of Stoma Care Nurses' (ASCN) UK conference in Wales and the European Council of Enterostomal Therapy (ECET) conference in Rome, masterclasses and study days.

Planning for the ASCN Congress in conjunction with the World Council of Enterostomal Therapists (WCET) 2020 in Glasgow in October is the next big venture, with the aim of supporting specialist nurses, not only in stoma care but in continence and wound care too.

So, where are we politically? At the time of writing, there is no final Brexit deal and a general election is looming. A potential change of Government may hold unknown threats and opportunities for nursing and the NHS has been thrown into the spotlighted arena of political discussion during the run-up to the election. The need for increased funding for the NHS will continue, but spending it wisely requires strategy and foresight.