FNF Academy membership brings together Chief Nurses, Executive Directors of Nursing, Deans and senior nursing and midwifery leaders from across the UK and beyond – leaders who are actively shaping the future of health and care. Membership offers what matters most for nursing and midwifery leaders — the knowledge, connections, and development needed to lead with confidence, influence with impact, and deliver outstanding services – as well as development opportunities for the wider workforce.
Read on to find out more about the highlights of the past year, including the recent Member Symposium.
Network and Influence
Annual Member Symposium
Our Annual Member Symposium is a flagship moment in the membership year and the recent 2026 event certainly proved this. The theme, “Leading Under the Spotlight,” set out to examine how leaders maintain integrity, compassion, and professional confidence under heightened scrutiny – during investigations, external reviews, and periods of intense public challenge. With keynote reflections from Dame Ruth May, and an exceptional line-up of speakers and panelists it was a day filled with candid and insightful conversations – and also of collaboration, solidarity and pride.
Influencing National Policy
A central part of what membership enables is collective influence – ensuring nursing and midwifery expertise shapes the national decisions that affect organisations, staff, students, and patients and service-users. This year our members and their wider workforce have helped us shape three big issues:
Member Roundtables
Exclusively for Chief Nurse and Executive Director of Nursing members, our confidential roundtables give direct input into FNF’s policy positions before they are published. They are a space for frank peer dialogue on the issues that matter most — and a direct channel into national influencing work.
This year’s sessions covered three major system-level priorities:
- Regulating NHS Managers
- Dual Regulation and the Future of Nursing Leadership
- The 10-Year Health Plan for England
Learning and Development
Webinar Series
Our monthly webinar series provides timely, expert-led learning on the policy and leadership issues that matter most to our member organisations. All webinars are recorded and available on demand on the member portal.
Fellows Programme
The FNF Fellows Programme is a tailored eight-month leadership development opportunity exclusively available to FNF Academy Member organisations. This past year we celebrated the graduation of 56 Fellows, and 59 new Fellows began their journey.
Online Learning Modules
Alongside our live events, members and their wider workforce have access to a growing library of self-directed online modules, available on the Member Portal. This year we launched two new modules: Clinical Supervision: Foundations for Practice, and Clinical English: supporting communication skills and confidence for internationally educated professionals.
Discounted and Free Leadership Programme Places
Membership enables organisational savings and expanded access to development opportunities.
- Member organisations saved on places across our new Emerging Leaders and Established Leaders programmes.
- Thanks to funding from the Sandra Charitable Trust, 45 member organisations each received a free place for an early career registrant in their workforce on our online Early Career Programme.
- As a new benefit launched in September 2025, members can access a 5% discount on all our online programmes.
Recognise and Celebrate
We know that feeling seen and valued is fundamental to sustaining the workforce. Through our membership community, we create meaningful moments of recognition – honouring the leaders who set the standard and the nurses and midwives at all levels that make it all possible. Some of these key moments are:
- Florence Nightingale Commemoration Service
- FNF Students’ Day
- FNF DAISY Awards
What’s Next?
We are excited to introduce new developments in the year to come:
- Updated Member Portal
- Rising Leaders Programme (the rebranded and relaunched Fellows Programme)
- Policy Bulletins
Read more about member highlights 2025-26
