Those of us who attend Congress as voting members from the branch are there to vote on behalf of all of our members and we do so alongside with the rest of the South West contingent. It was really helpful that we managed to hold a member meeting before Congress so we could talk to members about the resolutions and matters for discussion to inform us in our voting.
As I said in my blog before Congress, the Gloucestershire Branch had a matter for discussion on corridor care which was accepted onto Congress agenda.
Personally, this was a big thing for me to stand up and represent our branch at a national RCN event, in front of thousands of people and on camera. It was my first time speaking at Congress, but I was happy that it was very well received. I would encourage everyone to watch this very powerful and emotional debate around corridor care and the impact providing care in inappropriate settings has on nursing staff.
Watch the Monday afternoon debate by navigating to the Monday tab and clicking on Monday afternoon debates from here. (Go to 32 minutes 25 seconds in).
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The RCN Emergency Care Association’s survey was also released on the same day which added to the debate, and we had good media coverage on the issue. The strong response to this item from Congress meant that this matter for discussion got changed to a resolution and it is now passed to RCN Council to work on and to lobby the government to abolish corridor care to protect the privacy and dignity of patients that we care for. I want to thank my fellow branch executive members and my clinical team at work for helping me to present this item and pushing me out of my comfort zone.
Of course, Congress was not all about our agenda item, there was also chance to attend learning events, engage in the other debates in the main hall and visit the exhibition, as well as a lot of
networking with individuals from all over the UK. While the debating agenda is long for voting members there was time to relax and explore Brighton with fellow members. As a branch group we
did have some fun time playing at the arcade on the pier and having fish and chips on the sea front followed by an ice cream or two. There was also scheduled networking events in the evening like the regional dinner which had an interesting quiz.
Attending RCN Congress has relit the passion within me, at a time where it had gone and I was beginning to re-evaluate my nursing career and journey. I want to thank Tony (Tony Aspinall, South West Regional Service Manager) from the RCN regional office who works tireless behind the scenes ensuring that everything was ready before and during Congress not just for Gloucestershire Branch, but the whole of the South West contingent, supporting voting and non-voting South West members.
Next year Congress is in Wales, and I want to encourage all members to think about applying for funding to attend and representing your branch. We branches are keen to support first-time attenders so do get in touch with your local branch and we will see what we can do to support you to attend in 2024.
