Welcome to our second annual Nurses in Specialist Roles Conference where we have an exciting and packed agenda in store for you.
Vote for your favourite poster
We know nurse specialists use their specialised knowledge to assess, analyse, and deliver patient care, leading to better outcomes for patients. Yet their role delivers so much more. We encouraged colleagues to submit posters demonstrating the many achievements that make them proud and all of the submissions will be shortlisted for a prize at the end of the conference.
The posters can be viewed here:
Nurses in a Specialist Role Conference 2025 – Final Posters (6MB pdf)
Vote here
We would be grateful if you could vote for the one you think is the best using this link:
Voting Link – Specialist Nurses PostersEmbedding four pillars of practice
Nurse specialists are true leaders in healthcare providing direct patient care, leading evidence-based practice, optimising organisational systems, and advancing nursing practice and research.
Following the success of last year’s conference we are back, bigger and better with this year’s theme “Embedding four pillars of practice – Reality or Aspiration?”
We aim to provide a dedicated platform for our specialist nurses community to network, share knowledge and best practice, learn about advancements in our fields, and enhance our skills – all ultimately improving patient care and outcomes whilst contributing to more efficient delivery of services.
Day One: Thursday 18 September 2025
✨ Open and welcome by Newcastle’s Executive Director of Nursing Ian Joy who will talk about Nurses in Specialist Roles, the impact of the current NHS climate and ‘Embedding the 4 Pillars of Practice’
✨ First key speaker – highly respected nursing professional Professor Alison Leary highlighting the importance of the ‘Visibility of Nurse Specialists’
Day Two: Friday 19 September 2025
✨ Day Two is opened by Paula McLaren who is a Senior Nursing Advisor for Advanced Practice with the Nursing and Midwifery Council discussing “advanced roles“
✨ Second key speaker – we welcome Ivan Hollingsworth, Chair of Children’s Heart Unit Fund (CHUF), Life Coach and Culture Consultant exploring ‘How to thrive in a world of change, uncertainty and adversity’
Delegate Handbook
You can find more information about the two-day programme, our keynote speakers and breakout session speakers in this delegate handbook:
NISR Conference September 2025 Delegate Handbook (5MB pdf)
Breakout sessions
Following the opening speakers there will be a number of concurrent sessions to choose from – we have an extensive programme of interactive talks and presentations dedicated to enlightenment, demystification and breaking down barriers, allowing colleagues to share resources, discuss challenges, and develop strategies for improving patient outcomes.
These sessions have been chosen to cover the four pillars of practice which underpin what makes the Nurse Specialist role so vital:
| Clinical | Education | Leadership | Research |
Prebook your session
Please ensure you pre-book your preferences for the breakout sessions using the link https://forms.office.com/e/hGzmB9v8Nk
Further details regarding the breakout sessions can be found in the Delegate Handbook above.
Please note that due to the high number of attendees your choices cannot be guaranteed however we will endeavour to offer you your 1st or 2nd choice.
You can pre-vote for what you think are the best posters via this link https://forms.office.com/e/h28PHRke1x
Venue and directions
Freeman Hospital, Freeman Road, High Heaton,
Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear NE7 7DN United Kingdom + Google Map
Contact telephone 0191 28 24710
View venue website