I want to start by saying that it is a true honour to be elected RCN President and I want to thank everyone who believed in me. I trust in the power of the collective strength of nursing professionals and together we can make the nursing profession more valued and respected.  

In my role as a nurse working in critical care, every day I see and hear the personal struggles of our nursing staff and see the value of our pay being eroded. It not only affects us - it affects our patients, our families and our children too. Fair pay has a direct impact on retaining experienced nursing staff and nursing support workers – the impact on patients and the quality of care they receive is clear. 

In my role as President, I want to do everything I can to ensure the voices of our members are heard loudly by governments and other decision makers. To do that, I want to make sure all members are engaging with the College, so we have a stronger, united voice. 

Last week was a clear example of how powerful voices of our members are, when we launched a new report documenting the experiences of delivering care in inappropriate settings from more than 5,000 NHS nursing staff.  

The report detailed devastating stories running to over 400 pages including examples of patients dying in corridors, lack of equipment and unsafe practices. And reflects how staff across health and social care are at breaking point as professionals and as people, knowing they cannot give patients and families the care and dignity they deserve.   

Sadly, I am not surprised by these findings, as I have seen the conditions the report describes with my own eyes, and the impact it has on us as nursing professionals. This report really brings home the scale and depth of the problem that must be fixed. Our report sparked widespread media coverage, putting significant pressure on government and health leaders to address corridor care. We will continue to raise the impact of corridor care to ensure there is urgent action.  

This is where you can help - you are not powerless - whenever you see concerning practices in the workplace, including corridor care, raise a concern. This report shows that there is real power in collective action. We have resources to support you, wherever you work in the NHS or independent health and care settings. 

It is so important that decision makers hear the voice of our members, so it is very positive that so many of you voted in the NHS pay consultations across the UK last year, and into this year. Pay is the issue that led me to stand for the role of RCN President – I wanted to do more to help us achieve fair pay that matches the skills that we use, to deliver complex care every day in our roles. To turn around health and care after years of underfunding, the government must start to significantly invest in the nursing workforce.  

Last week I attended the event Know Your Worth: Unlocking the Job Evaluation System for Critical Care Nurses, and I was really pleased to see many critical care colleagues on the call, hearing more about how to go through the process of job evaluation in your workplace.  This is just one of the specialist groups of nursing staff who are under-valued, we know there are many others. But this is one of the many practical steps that the RCN is taking to support members to get a pay rise while working towards fairer pay for all. Across all areas of the NHS, job evaluation can help to see you recognised for the job you really do.  

Pay is such an important issue to help improve recruitment and retention into our profession so I look forward to working with you all as we continue to fight for fair pay for nursing, this year and beyond.  

I want to sincerely thank the nursing professionals who continue to provide exceptional care, even in the face of violence and aggression towards them. Hearing about the recent incident in Oldham was both shocking and saddening. All members of the health care profession have a right to be safe at work. If you feel your safety is under threat, please read our guides around violence in the workplace for further information.  

I am not the only newly elected member to start my tenure this month – there are many new members of Council, including newly elected deputy president, Chair and Vice Chair. Working together, alongside our General Secretary and Chief Executive Nicola Ranger and the Executive team, we are committed to achieving more for our profession, for our members, and our patients.