Celebrating our independent sector members in the North West

It’s just over a year since I took the role of Lead Nurse for IHSC in the North West and I want to thank you all for making this first year so productive and enjoyable.

What with supporting our NHS colleagues during Industrial Action on the picket line at 6am in sub-zero temperatures to establishing key stakeholder relationships with our Integrated Care Boards and Local Care Providers, it has been a year packed with invaluable experiences and learning curves. What a rich and enlightening experience this has been while we go through our discovery period as Lead Nurses, understanding what it is you as members working in this sector need and how we can support you to get it. 

Myself and the 11 other Lead Nurses for IHSC across the countries and regions have spent the year making connections with a great many highly skilled and experienced members who work across a vast range of different specialities and settings. With a background in social care, I was well-aware of the depth of talent employed in the sector, but it has been even more rewarding than I could have hoped to see first-hand the incredible work that you do day in, day out.

One of the primary aims of my role, as laid out in the RCN’s five-year strategic plan, is to find new ways to engage with our IHSC members and to ensure that you are fully represented at every level and in every way in which the RCN works. This means seeking more members from the sector to become Reps and Activists, to encourage members to engage with their local branch and its activities, maybe even serving on the branch executive team. And why should we not see more IHSC members engaged as Workforce Standards Champions, or on the RCN Forums, or even the RCN Board? The sky is the limit to what we can achieve.

To that end, I am delighted to announce our first North West event specifically for IHSC members, which will be taking place on 18 April next year. More details to follow but we already have a great line up of inspiring and informative speakers so I hope you’ll save the date.

I'd also like to invite you to join our growing local IHSC community on Facebook. Click here to join and keep up to date with what is happening in the IHSC sector in the region.

To those of you who celebrate the festive season, may I wish you a very Merry Christmas and to you all I send best wishes for health, peace and joy for the year in prospect.