There’s something about spring that brings new hope. I love the winter with cosy evenings and the generosity of the holiday season but as everyone who works in healthcare knows, it is not the sleeping season for us. As nature goes to ground and hibernates through the cold, we wrap up and step up. The winter season brings extra pressures with illness and injuries in inclement weather, so spring is when healthcare workers can melt a little, renew and rejuvenate. I urge you to take some time for yourself when you can - to heal, relax and restore yourselves. Go for a walk, get your blues and greens in, take some time in nature and breathe.
As we are on the subject of mental health and healing, the ITV show Breathtaking aired last month and lots of you are discussing the events and reliving your experiences throughout the pandemic. Please get in touch with RCN Direct if you need any support, our counselling services are there to help you. And if you need support with a professional issue, please reach out to us through the same channels.
Earlier this month, we gathered for our Regional Board Conference, held this year in Preston. The topic of the day was Practising Safely: Exploring Systems to Promote Safety and Quality. Every RCN member that we speak to tells us of their nursing journey - the highs and lows, the tears and laughter. Every journey starts and ends with the same thought - our patients. Whether we discuss pay, terms and conditions, resources or clinical diagnostics, every one of us realises that every issue for us has a direct impact on patient care. Patient safety is at the forefront of our minds and important to us all, no matter our role.
Listening to Trish Armstrong-Child, Chief Executive of Blackpool Teaching Hospitals, tell of her career and experiences as a senior leader was inspiring, demonstrating honesty and transparency throughout her career. She taught us that ‘kindness takes practice’ and is ‘evidence of impenetrable strength, a willingness to stay soft in a world that tries to harden you at every corner’. These are words that will stay with me.
The past few years have been the toughest the nursing profession in this country has ever seen. From pandemic to picket line, facing pressures most of us had never dreamt of, the nursing profession has kept its integrity. We continue to advocate for our patients, always at the heart of everything we do.
Kim Sunley (RCN Health, Safety and Wellbeing National Officer) and Jude Diggins (Freedom to Speak Up Guardian) spoke to us about raising concerns within our workplaces and our RCN Legal officer Anahita Syed discussed the legal ramifications of our code and duty to protect the public and our colleagues. And leading the way for our Independent Health and Social Care colleagues was Claire Sutton, RCN Transformational Lead for the IHSC. It was a fantastic day, with some great discussion that I hope we can continue.
If there is something you would like us to examine more closely, get in touch and we will work together. You’ve heard me say this so many times, but to be the Voice of Nursing, we need to hear your voices!
With Congress approaching we turn our minds to coming together as a college, to debate things close to our hearts and discuss how we take our profession forward. I look forward to meeting many of you in Wales, where we can share ideas and listen to your thoughts on the things that matter most to you. As well as our regional dinner, where reigning champions Lancashire West Branch will lead our quiz, we’ll be holding a session for you to meet the regional team to give us your feedback on how the week has been for you.
As always, we hope that you will choose to join us for our regional events, many of which are available to join in person or online. Please keep an eye on your email and our events page of our website to see what we have going on and get the details of your upcoming local branch meetings.
I finished my MSc at the end of last year and have promised my family I’ll take a break from formal studying for a little while, so I am trying to take some time to learn other skills. My Dad and I built some vegetable boxes last year and I am attempting to gain some green fingers. I’m hoping that as spring takes hold, my garden will have a new lease of life and that as I potter around I will find some peace. I hope that spring will revitalise you too and that you are renewed and ready for whatever the rest of this year brings. As always, we’ll meet these challenges together, with hope.
