My name is Simon Browes and I am delighted to be able to introduce myself to you as the new Regional Director for RCN North West.

Some of you may have heard my name before as I have been involved in the work of the RCN for over 20 years, first as a Learning Rep, then as a Branch Chair and subsequently as the Chair of the Professional Nursing Committee.

This range of experience on, as it were, the other side of the RCN brings me invaluable insight into the needs and wants of our members and the ability to recognise the enormous value of having an active and engaged membership. A trade union lives and dies by the activism of its members and I very much hope to help harness your collective frustration with pay, conditions and unsafe staffing levels to be able to advocate for change, both locally and nationally.

The RCN is also your professional body and I have a wealth of experience in many different nursing roles, combining clinical practice with leadership responsibilities. My background spans primary care, public health and integrated mental health and social care and I've worked on large scale service change, clinical governance, quality and safety, and professional development, always with a focus on supporting staff and ensuring safe, effective care.

I'll tell you more about my background, along with my hopes and intentions for this new role, in the coming weeks. Until then, I will simply say how happy I am to be here and how greatly I look forward to meeting and working with you all.