We held our annual upskilling Care Advisors Conference in Birmingham once more this year, welcoming 50 neuromuscular care advisors and clinical nurse specialists from across the UK.
Our Neuromuscular Care Advisors Conference took place from the 27 to 28 February. Neuromuscular care advisors are important to our community, as they provide practical and emotional support for those living with muscle wasting and weakening conditions. However, there are only roughly 60 NHS-funded care advisor and clinical nurse specialist roles across the UK, supporting over 110,000 people living with muscle wasting and weakening conditions. Ensuring they have the right tools to support so many people in our community is essential.
Care advisors aren’t given many opportunities to upskill in all the areas they feel are relevant to their work. In many cases they are only offered upskilling opportunities in more generic areas. They may also struggle to get the funding and time off approved past their standard study days. Creating more opportunities for care advisors to upskill in specialist areas is essential for our community to get the care they deserve.
“There’s broader things I might have access to, but specific stuff is financially restricted. A lot of specific training is mainly targeted at doctors and costs a lot of money, so I can’t afford to go to those conferences. My health board won’t pay for it, and I’m not allowed the time off.”
Our annual Care Advisors Conference is a great opportunity for care advisors to upskill in new areas that they might not get the opportunity to usually do. This year we provided talks ranging from travelling with a disability, to talking about sexuality, to channelopathies on day one. While day two focused on educational needs, housing adaptations, and the benefits system. We provided a range of topics with the support of other organisations such as Pathfinders Neuromuscular Alliance, Child Poverty Action Group, and Foundations.
“It’s invaluable to be here because it’s amazing to see what other people do. … Me linking in with people I may have to work with is great. It’s just about sharing our knowledge. It’s so niche we don’t need to be reinventing the wheel.”
We also upskill care advisors through our webinars, modules, and other events. Our upcoming webinars include bone health management and the use of non-invasive ventilation. We’re currently updating our health professional modules, with a planned expansion to the Allied Health Professionals e-learning module.
“I just did the trismus [jaw management] webinar. That was very helpful because that was something that wasn’t on my radar. I learnt so much from it and have incorporated that into my practice now by changing the questions I ask.”
We’re very grateful to the 12 conference speakers for their time and expertise. Thanks to all the attendees too who helped shape this year’s great conference experience. We look forward to seeing you all again next year.
