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How to Prepare Questions for an Upcoming Nursing Event

A Practical Guide for CHC Agency Nurses and Healthcare Professionals

The CHC Nurses Agency Network is a supportive professional community where CHC agency nurses come together to share knowledge, build connections and develop their careers. Our regular events, training sessions and online meet-ups are designed to help you grow in confidence and competence within Continuing Healthcare (CHC) and wider nursing practice.

To get the most from these events, preparing high‑quality questions in advance is essential. Thoughtful questions not only deepen your learning, they also help you engage with speakers, build professional relationships and contribute positively to the wider CHC nursing community.

Why Preparing Questions Matters for CHC Agency Nurses

Preparing questions before a CHC, CQC or nursing event ensures you gain maximum value from every session. It shows that you are engaged, professional and committed to ongoing development in an increasingly complex healthcare environment.

Effective questions prompt meaningful discussion, clarify complex topics such as CHC funding, CQC standards and multi‑agency working, and can highlight real‑world challenges that other nurses in the network may share. As agency nurses working in CHC and community settings, asking the right questions can directly support safer care, smoother patient journeys and stronger multidisciplinary collaboration.

Step 1: Identify the Purpose of the Event

Clarify your learning objectives

Before you start writing questions, be clear about why you are attending. Are you focusing on CHC assessment processes, improving your documentation, understanding CQC expectations, or exploring better ways to manage complex patients in community settings?

Write down 2–3 key learning objectives, for example:

• Understand the CHC checklist and decision support tool in more depth.
• Learn how to evidence complexity, intensity and unpredictability in practice.
• Gain practical tips for working effectively with local authorities and ICBs.

These objectives will help you target your questions and stay focused during the event.

Determine the event format and audience

The CHC Nurses Agency Network runs a range of events: informal networking sessions, online Q&A discussions, workshops, webinars and more formal training days. Understanding the format and who will be there helps you pitch your questions at the right level.

For example:

• Networking event: Questions that open up conversations with peers about shared challenges.
• Training session: More technical questions about CHC criteria, documentation or CQC compliance.
• Panel discussion: Broader strategic questions about policy, commissioning and service design.

Step 2: Research the Event, Topics and Speakers

Review the agenda and key themes

Look through the event programme or event description shared by the CHC Nurses Agency Network. Highlight the sessions that are most relevant to your work, such as CHC funding decisions, hospital discharge planning, safeguarding, learning disability care or community case management.

Ask yourself:

• Which topics do I find most challenging in my day‑to‑day CHC work?
• Where do I see gaps in my knowledge or confidence?
• What areas could immediately improve my practice or support my current clients?

Use these reflections to shape focused, practical questions.

Learn about the speakers and facilitators

If speaker names are shared, search for their roles and experience (for example, CHC nurse assessor, CQC inspector, community matron, or clinical lead). Understanding their background enables you to frame targeted questions that play to their expertise.

Examples:

• To a CHC assessor: “How can agency nurses best evidence complexity in daily notes to support CHC eligibility?”
• To a CQC specialist: “What documentation from agency nurses most influences CQC judgments on safe and effective care?”

Step 3: Formulate Clear, Relevant Questions

Use open‑ended questions to encourage discussion

Open‑ended questions (starting with “how”, “what”, “why” or “which”) encourage fuller, more useful answers and stimulate group discussion among CHC agency nurses.

Examples:

• “How can agency nurses working in CHC settings contribute more effectively to multi‑disciplinary meetings?”
• “What are the most common pitfalls in CHC assessments from your perspective, and how can nurses avoid them?”
• “Why is consistent documentation so important in CHC cases, and what does ‘good’ look like?”

Be specific, concise and practice‑focused

Avoid very broad or vague questions such as “Can you talk about CHC?” Instead, focus on a specific issue, scenario or challenge you encounter in practice.

Examples:

• “What are effective strategies for managing disagreements about CHC eligibility between families and professionals?”
• “How can agency nurses ensure continuity of care and communication when working short‑term CHC placements?”
• “What documentation is most critical when evidencing behaviour that challenges in CHC cases?”

Prepare follow‑up questions

Good follow‑up questions show that you are listening and help you drill deeper into an answer that is particularly relevant to CHC or your agency work.

For example, if the speaker explains a useful CHC documentation tip, you might ask:

• “Could you give a brief example of how that would look in a daily note?”
• “How might this differ for a patient with dementia versus a patient with a learning disability?”

Step 4: Practical Tips for Submitting and Asking Questions

Use the tools provided: cards, chat and social media groups

Many CHC Nurses Agency Network events offer different ways to submit questions – verbally, via chat (for online events), or through written cards or forms at in‑person sessions. Use whichever method helps you express your question most clearly.

You can also share questions within our confidential invite‑only social media groups before or after the event to gain peer perspectives and refine your thinking.

Prioritise your most important questions

Time at events is often limited, so prepare a short list of 3–5 priority questions. Put your most critical or time‑sensitive question first so you can use the opportunity effectively if you are only able to ask one.

Be respectful, professional and concise

Frame your questions politely, avoid lengthy backstories, and keep your wording simple and clear. This maintains a positive environment for all CHC agency nurses attending and increases the chances that your question will be addressed.

Step 5: Tailoring Questions to CHC and Healthcare Events

Align your questions with current standards and guidance

To keep your questions highly relevant, link them to current NHS Continuing Healthcare frameworks, CQC key lines of enquiry, safeguarding responsibilities and best practice in community nursing.

Examples:

• “How can agency nurses working in CHC settings demonstrate compliance with the latest CQC ‘safe’ and ‘effective’ domains?”
• “What are the key changes in CHC guidance that nurses should be aware of this year?”

Seek practical, real‑world solutions and best practice

Focus on questions that will give you usable tools, templates or approaches you can apply immediately in your CHC roles.

Examples:

• “What are some practical techniques for managing challenging family conversations about CHC eligibility?”
• “Can you share examples of best‑practice handovers between agency nurses and permanent staff in CHC packages?”

Connect your questions to your current work and organisation

Think about the settings where you currently work – for example, care homes, community teams, hospitals or specialist learning disability services – and link your questions to real organisational needs.

Examples:

• “In a busy care home setting, what are the most efficient ways for agency nurses to gather evidence needed for CHC reviews?”
• “How can agency nurses help organisations prepare for CQC inspections in relation to CHC clients?”

Step 6: Use the CHC Nurses Agency Network Community

Discuss ideas with other nurses before and after events

One of the strengths of the CHC Nurses Agency Network is our active, supportive community of around 500 CHC agency nursing professionals. Many members keep in touch daily through our confidential social media groups.

You can:

• Share draft questions with peers and ask for feedback.
• See what topics other nurses are interested in and build on their ideas.
• Compare notes after the event to capture key answers and action points.

Turn answers into actionable changes in your practice

After the event, review your notes and identify specific actions: changes to your documentation, communication style, advocacy in CHC meetings, or approaches to multidisciplinary working. Share what you have learned with other members of the CHC Nurses Agency Network so the whole community benefits.

Conclusion: Make Every CHC Event a Valuable Learning Experience

Well‑prepared questions transform you from a passive listener into an active participant at any CHC or nursing event. They help you get tailored insights, build stronger professional relationships and contribute to the collective knowledge of the CHC Nurses Agency Network.

For CHC agency nurses, thoughtful questioning can unlock practical strategies that improve patient care, documentation quality and organisational compliance with CHC and CQC requirements. By taking a little time before each event to plan your questions, you can make every training session, webinar or networking event a genuine investment in your professional development.

FAQs: Preparing Questions for CHC Nurses Agency Network Events

1. How far in advance should I prepare questions for a CHC Nurses Agency Network event? Ideally start preparing your questions 2–3 days before the event so you have time to reflect on your learning needs and refine your wording.
2. Can I submit questions to CHC Nurses Agency Network events beforehand? Yes, for many events you can pre‑submit questions via email, registration forms or our private social media groups so facilitators can plan their responses.
3. Should my questions be written down or just prepared in my head? It is best to write your questions down so you can phrase them clearly and refer to them quickly during the event.
4. How many questions should I bring to an event? Aim for around 3–5 focused questions, prioritising the top one or two that matter most for your current CHC practice.
5. What if I feel nervous about asking a question in front of others? You can submit your question in writing, ask through the online chat, or share it in our private groups before or after the event if you prefer.
6. How do I make sure my question is relevant to CHC and the event topic? Link your question directly to the advertised session themes and to real situations you encounter as an agency nurse in CHC or community care.
7. Are open‑ended questions better than yes/no questions at CHC events? Yes, open‑ended questions generally lead to richer, more detailed answers that are more useful for your professional development.
8. What if my question is complex or covers several issues? Break it into two or three smaller questions so the speaker can address each part clearly and practically.
9. Can I ask follow‑up questions during CHC Nurses Agency Network events? Yes, polite follow‑ups are welcome and show engagement, as long as time allows and other participants also have opportunities to speak.
10. How can the CHC Nurses Agency Network help me with questions after the event? You can continue the conversation in our private social media groups, where members share experiences, clarify points and support each other 24‑7‑365.

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