Professor Dame Jill Macleod Clark is a nurse engaged in national and international policy activities, and a member of FNF’s Board of Trustees. In this blog she shares why it is a good time for FNF to be launching its Policy and Influence Think Tank.
As a Board member of The Florence Nightingale Foundation (FNF) over the past few years, I have been struck by the impact that its excellent leadership programmes continue to have on individual nurses and midwives and their health care organisations. My own engagement as a nurse in national and international policy activities has also made me acutely aware of the critical role that leaders in nursing and midwifery should be playing in all health and care policy agendas.
There has never been a more important moment to ensure that the informed voice of our professions can be heard loud and clear in all discussions and decisions that relate to improved quality of care and health outcomes. With a new government in place and so many pressures facing our health care system, the official launch of its Policy and Influence Think Tank is extremely timely. In its 90th anniversary year, FNF will be working closely with its members, alumni and champions to increase the presence and influence of nurse and midwife leaders in debates on a range of pressing issues.
The rapidly growing community of nurses and midwives that FNF works with and supports means they are already making a difference by influencing the direction of key health and care policies at local, national and global levels. The FNF Think Tank will provide a clear structure for prioritising the really pressing challenges and harnessing the knowledge and experience of the nursing and midwifery community to inform deliverable solutions.
Over the past years, the FNF has carried out numerous, high-quality research, evaluation and thought leadership projects and added real value to policy development and implementation. These include informing the dissemination and embedding of the findings of the Phillips Ives Review, undertaking a study for NHS England which explored the influence of leadership, culture, and hierarchy on the ability of nurses and midwives to raise concerns relating to patient deterioration and working with the Nuffield Trust to identify opportunities for the NMC to ensure improved practice learning in the education programmes of nurses, midwives and nursing associates.
FNF is now taking a significant step forward to build on previous work and draw together this experience and expertise under one think tank umbrella. The new Think Tank will maximise the potential to inform and influence the future direction of travel in key areas of health care delivery and practice. It will provide a robust framework for supporting and empowering nurse and midwife leaders to confidently contribute to vital debates and decision making. Most importantly it will provide a focus for ensuring that the wealth of experience and expertise of our professions really informs decisions that make such a huge difference to peoples’ lives.
The upcoming launch event for the Think Tank will address the theme of ‘Speaking Up’. I have seen the panel topics and list of speakers and attendees and know it will be a highly stimulating and thought-provoking event. So, I will be closely following all its activities.
Until and unless there are nursing and midwifery seats at all key health care policy tables and the nursing and midwifery voice fully informs decision making, we will be failing in our responsibilities to advocate, on behalf of the public, for improved quality of care, safety and health outcomes.
I very much look forward to seeing the FNF Policy and Influence Think Tank grow in influence and reach and watch where it will go next. There is a lot going on in the policy world in the next ten years. Let’s aim high to see real change!
Professor Dame Jill Macleod Clark DBE, PHD, BSC, SRN, FRCN, FQNI
