Liverpool chosen to host new national nursing conference and festival

Liverpool has been selected to host the UK’s inaugural Nursing Live event.

The two-day festival and expo, which is dedicated to the whole of the nursing profession, is expected to attract up to 10,000 nurses from across the country, generating a potential economic impact of over £1.4m for the Liverpool City Region.

Taking place at Exhibition Centre Liverpool on November 10th-11th (part of the ACC Liverpool complex which together with the M&S Bank Arena recently hosted the Eurovision Song Contest), Nursing Live’s programme will include over 100 presentations, demonstrations and masterclasses showcasing the very latest developments in nursing practice and social care. 

There will also be special zones focused on careers and learning, digital health, advanced medical devices, and pharmaceuticals. In addition, delegates will get access to a wide range of personal well-being resources designed specifically for nurses, plus there will be areas featuring leisure activities, music and food.   

Combining professional and personal development elements, together with lifestyle and entertainment content, Nursing Live will be the first event of its kind for the nursing sector.

Steve Rotheram, Mayor of the Liverpool City Region, said: 

“Nurses are the beating heart of our healthcare system and, as the husband of a frontline worker, I know first-hand the pressure that our NHS heroes have been under over the past few years.

“Their bravery and selflessness during the COVID-19 pandemic will never be forgotten by the people of our region and I’m sure they will receive the warmest of welcomes from our residents when Nursing Live arrives in our area later this year.”

As part of the lead up to the event, Nursing Live have been speaking to nurses across the UK – including staff from Liverpool’s Alder Hey Children’s Hospital and The Walton Centre in Fazakerley – about what they would like to see included in the programme.

The Walton Centre’s Chief Executive Jan Ross, who started her nursing career at The Royal Liverpool Hospital in the early 1990s, said:

“Before becoming CEO of The Walton Centre I worked for over 30 years as a surgical nurse, a Matron and a Divisional Nurse Director. In that time, I’ve always put an incredibly high value on events which bring nurses together, especially from different backgrounds. That’s because there’s always something new to learn, fresh ideas to share, and challenges to overcome by working together.

“Nursing Live is a fantastic example of this type of peer-to-peer collaboration on a national scale, and I’m delighted that The Walton Centre and its staff has been able to support it. It’s also great that the first ever Nursing Live event will be held here in Liverpool, and I know our nurses are really looking forward to it. ”    

Rachel Armitage, Managing Director of RCNi, said:  

“It’s fitting that 160 years on from when the Liverpool Training School for Nurses first opened its doors on Dover Street, the inaugural Nursing Live is set to be hosted in the city. Liverpool’s tradition of nursing innovation and outstanding practice is matched by the caring and compassionate spirit  of its people;  values which are also shared across the nursing profession.  

“That, combined with the amazing support we’ve already had from ACC Liverpool, the Mayor’s Office, and hospitals like Alder Hey and The Walton Centre, only reinforces why it just had to be Liverpool for our first ever Nursing Live event.”

ACC Liverpool has warmly welcomed RCNi’s announcement.

Adrian Evans, ACC Liverpool’s Director of Conference and Exhibition Sales, said: 

“While we’ve hosted many healthcare events at our ACC Liverpool campus over the years, this is the first time we have held a nursing exhibition on this scale,  and in this format, in our exhibition centre. We are delighted to be providing a flexible venue where nursing professionals can join together to learn, share knowledge, and to network.”

Tickets were made available last week, and have proved hugely popular. 

For tickets, which are free to registered nurses, student nurses and other registered healthcare workers, and more details, visit the Nursing Live website here.