HORATIO CONGRESS - FAROE ISLAND

Welcome to the Horatio Congress in the Faroe Islands

It is with great pleasure that I welcome you to this Horatio congress in collaboration with our colleagues from the Faroese Psychiatric Nurses. It is nearly 20 years ago that I last spoke at an event on this beautiful archipelago, and at the time I remember being so impressed with the dedication, enthusiasm and motivation of the Faroese PMHNs. It is perhaps fitting that the theme of ‘Safe Settings’ was chosen for this event. Living and working in a small island nation has added factors that in some way increase the potential of risk to oneself and others. Safety was one of the underpinning features of the EU Framework for Action on Mental Health and Wellbeing initiative, with the EU Compass focusing on suicide reduction in 2017 and increasing community based facilities in 2018. Working in inpatient settings has always been stressful for nurses and patients alike. And, whilst most European nations report an increase in community based mental health care few are prepared to say how they protect both their patients and nurses in that environment. Our distinguished list of keynote speakers will attempt to address concerns about how to tackle a wide variety of safety issues in all mental health clinical settings and our concurrent sessions and posters will provide some practical options for practitioners, managers and educationalists. Take the time to share your ideas and experiences with others and don’t be afraid to think outside the box. As the late Dr. Steven Hawkings said, “Be Creative”. Enjoy your congress and I look forward to meeting with you all during the event.