Shaping the future of nursing through personalised care

On Monday, 22 June, the It’s All About People team joined over 150 first-year nursing students from the University of Lincoln to explore what personalised, strengths-based care looks like beyond the classroom.

Invited back following last year's successful day with student nurses, the team worked alongside University colleagues to bring personalised care to life through a series of interactive workshops, inspiring speakers, and powerful lived experience stories.

Bringing personalised care to life

As students complete their Personalised Care module, the day provided an opportunity to connect theory with real-life practice, helping them understand how personalised approaches are being embedded across health and care services in Lincolnshire.

Throughout the day, students explored topics including:

• Personalised and strengths-based approaches
• Our Shared Agreement
• Social prescribing
• The role of social care
• Why the language we use matters

This year's event introduced a new workshop format, replacing a single large session with four interactive rotating workshops. The smaller groups encouraged richer discussion, more questions, and meaningful conversations, allowing students to explore the topics in greater depth.

Learning from lived experience

One of the most memorable aspects of the day came from hearing directly from people whose experiences of health and care demonstrated why personalised care matters.

Clare Credland and Beckie McConville shared their personal journeys into nursing and reflected on the importance of seeing the person beyond their condition.

Clare is now Head of Integrated Community Partnerships for Trent, SLH, and K2 Grantham and Sleaford PCNs, and Lead for Complex Frailty, Lincolnshire Community and Hospitals NHS Group.

Beckie is now Head of Integrated Community Partnership, and Lead for Prevention and Children and Young People, Lincolnshire Community and Hospitals NHS Group

Students also heard from Janet Collins, John Day, and Steve Perkins, whose lived experiences grounded the day's discussions in the realities of navigating health and care services. Their openness, honesty and willingness to share both positive experiences and opportunities for improvement gave students invaluable insight into the impact compassionate, person-centred care can have.

Inspiring the next generation

The feedback from students and University staff highlighted just how valuable the day had been.

Ken Ripley, Senior Lecturer at the University of Lincoln, said:

"It was clear how much thought and energy went into the day…the inclusion of lived experience partners really impacted the students. Janet received a spontaneous round of applause. I have no doubt the students will have gained a great deal from this - and as a result, so will their patients."

Comments like these reinforce the importance of creating opportunities for future professionals to learn alongside people with lived experience, helping to build the empathy, curiosity, and confidence that personalised care depends upon.

Looking ahead

The future of health and care is not built solely on clinical knowledge. It also relies on listening, understanding what matters to people, and working in partnership.

By bringing together education, professional experience, and lived experience, the day offered students a powerful reminder that every conversation has the potential to improve someone's experience of care.

The It's All About People team looks forward to continuing its partnership with the University of Lincoln to help shape the next generation of compassionate, person-centred professionals.