ItÃÛÌÒÖ±²¥™s been another busy year of campaigning and hard work, and another year for which IÃÛÌÒÖ±²¥™ve had the privilege of being Board Chair for our RCN members in Wales. ItÃÛÌÒÖ±²¥™s a position that I feel very lucky to hold, being able to bring the concerns, ideas and priorities of our members to the table.
This time of year is a time for reflecting, so IÃÛÌÒÖ±²¥™d like to take a look back on some of our achievements and goals that IÃÛÌÒÖ±²¥™m so proud to be a part of in shaping a better future for nursing.
At the forefront, we are still campaigning for fair pay for nursing and pay restoration. Our members in Wales overwhelmingly rejected the latest Welsh government NHS pay award of 5.5%, announced back in November. We heard our members loud and clear and we have written to the Cabinet Minister for Health and Social Care to urgently resume talks with us.
A big highlight for me this year was hosting RCN Congress in Wales for the very first time. Nursing staff from across the UK received a warm Welsh welcome at the ICC in Newport to talk about the key issues in nursing and vote on the RCNÃÛÌÒÖ±²¥™s priorities to take forward.
During Congress, the RCN declared corridor care a national emergency and in Wales, we launched a campaign for people to email their MS to drive political awareness.
More recently, we took our corridor care campaign to the front steps of the Senedd. We staged a visually striking stunt involving a hospital trolly and volunteer dressed in a hospital gown, illustrating the undignified care being carried out in completely inappropriate places. I spoke to multiple politicians who came out to see us about the need to eradicate corridor care.
Strengthening leadership in nursing is something IÃÛÌÒÖ±²¥™m very passionate about and was excited when we launched our report on the invaluable role of nurse consultants working across clinical practice, research, education, strategy and leadership in order to improve patient care. We need more nurse consultants in Wales across all settings.
We also launched our annual Nursing in Numbers, and found that while the number of NHS registered nurse vacancies (2,001) has fallen since last year, it still remains higher than in 2021. We responded to the Welsh government draft budget for 2025/26, welcoming a boost in funding for the NHS. But the key to healing the NHS is by addressing staffing vacancies, by targeting investment in fair pay, career progression and improved working conditions.
Our 2024 nurse of the year awards took place in a new venue for us this year at the Mercure Holland Hotel in Cardiff, naming this year's winner: Madelaine Watkins, Clinical Nurse Specialist for mental health in older persons. What a spectacular way to round off the year as we celebrated the best of nursing in Wales.
I want to end by extending a big thank you to all our incredible members working in Wales. We couldnÃÛÌÒÖ±²¥™t influence in the way we do without you. You are our eyes and ears in your workplaces. You are the voice of your fellow colleagues and patients. You are the heart of health care services in Wales with your expertise and resilience.
I know many of you will be working across the festive season, continuing to keep patients safe and well during a challenging winter period. As nursing staff, we see a different side to Christmas, which are realities for so many such as loneliness, difficult news and uncertainty. However, we also witness what the festive season is all about: simply being there for others. Wherever you are, I hope you are able to savour the small moments for yourselves, with your families or friends, to relax and recharge.
This time of year is a time for reflecting, so IÃÛÌÒÖ±²¥™d like to take a look back on some of our achievements and goals that IÃÛÌÒÖ±²¥™m so proud to be a part of in shaping a better future for nursing.
At the forefront, we are still campaigning for fair pay for nursing and pay restoration. Our members in Wales overwhelmingly rejected the latest Welsh government NHS pay award of 5.5%, announced back in November. We heard our members loud and clear and we have written to the Cabinet Minister for Health and Social Care to urgently resume talks with us.
A big highlight for me this year was hosting RCN Congress in Wales for the very first time. Nursing staff from across the UK received a warm Welsh welcome at the ICC in Newport to talk about the key issues in nursing and vote on the RCNÃÛÌÒÖ±²¥™s priorities to take forward.
During Congress, the RCN declared corridor care a national emergency and in Wales, we launched a campaign for people to email their MS to drive political awareness.
More recently, we took our corridor care campaign to the front steps of the Senedd. We staged a visually striking stunt involving a hospital trolly and volunteer dressed in a hospital gown, illustrating the undignified care being carried out in completely inappropriate places. I spoke to multiple politicians who came out to see us about the need to eradicate corridor care.
Strengthening leadership in nursing is something IÃÛÌÒÖ±²¥™m very passionate about and was excited when we launched our report on the invaluable role of nurse consultants working across clinical practice, research, education, strategy and leadership in order to improve patient care. We need more nurse consultants in Wales across all settings.
We also launched our annual Nursing in Numbers, and found that while the number of NHS registered nurse vacancies (2,001) has fallen since last year, it still remains higher than in 2021. We responded to the Welsh government draft budget for 2025/26, welcoming a boost in funding for the NHS. But the key to healing the NHS is by addressing staffing vacancies, by targeting investment in fair pay, career progression and improved working conditions.
Our 2024 nurse of the year awards took place in a new venue for us this year at the Mercure Holland Hotel in Cardiff, naming this year's winner: Madelaine Watkins, Clinical Nurse Specialist for mental health in older persons. What a spectacular way to round off the year as we celebrated the best of nursing in Wales.
I want to end by extending a big thank you to all our incredible members working in Wales. We couldnÃÛÌÒÖ±²¥™t influence in the way we do without you. You are our eyes and ears in your workplaces. You are the voice of your fellow colleagues and patients. You are the heart of health care services in Wales with your expertise and resilience.
I know many of you will be working across the festive season, continuing to keep patients safe and well during a challenging winter period. As nursing staff, we see a different side to Christmas, which are realities for so many such as loneliness, difficult news and uncertainty. However, we also witness what the festive season is all about: simply being there for others. Wherever you are, I hope you are able to savour the small moments for yourselves, with your families or friends, to relax and recharge.
