Happy New Year North West!

Apologies that this blog post is late, I have succumbed to the lurgy and am writing to you from under my duvet. I’m accompanied by some hot Vimto and Mary Poppins, with my lovely son helping me by making soup and learning how to use the washing machine. 

I hope you had a lovely Christmas and a Happy New Year and that you managed to get some rest and some vitamin C! With every New Year comes reminiscence and retrospection. We look back on our memories of last year - some good, some difficult, some bittersweet. Throughout our nursing journey we must always reflect on our experiences and learn what we can from them, for good or bad.  

2023 taught us that we are everything good that people believe nurses to be and more.  We are compassionate and skilled, called to care for everyone, no matter their creed, colour or circumstance. We strive to make our workplaces safe and inclusive for all. Two of my personal highlights of the year were our North West Black History Month Conference, which explored the topic ‘Anti-racism: Silence will not protect you’, and also the launch of the North West Multicultural Group just a couple of months ago. I hope 2024 sees this newly formed group go from strength to strength. 

Last year saw us speak up for our profession and spread the word about the absolute need for safer staffing and what this means for our patients and our communities, both locally and globally. We will continue this into 2024 and beyond. Nurses and the wider healthcare family will not be quietened again. As we settle into the new year, I hope that we will continue to advocate for a better world, a better future for our patients and to secure the NHS for generations to come. 

I am so proud to be part of the North West team and look forward to working with you all over the coming year. There are so many ways to be involved in the RCN, big or small. We all have a part to play and all are welcome. As we look ahead to this year’s Congress in Wales, now is an excellent time to get involved in your local branch so you can put forward your ideas for the issues you wish to see debated and addressed. 

If you have an idea, a message, a desire to become or continue to be active, please do get in touch. Our branches and board need enthusiastic, passionate people like you, so get involved!  It was lovely to meet folks at our branch and board development day and I hope to meet many more of you this year. I must also recognise the ongoing contribution of our student ambassadors, who continue to be a fantastic source of inspiration and energy and I hope that we can come together soon as well. 
Our first big regional event of the year will be at our annual Regional Board Conference, which is taking place in Preston in mid-February. This year, we will be joined by some excellent speakers on the theme ‘Practising Safely: Exploring Systems to Promote Safety and Quality’. Read more about it here. I do hope you will join us. 

So, whilst I have been snivelling under my duvet, I’ve had a good think, and this year, I’ve resolved to not make any resolutions (though I might try driving lessons again – watch out!) but I am determined to try to act with kindness and compassion at all times. Now I have finished my MSc, I have vowed to learn some self-care, something we all need to practice – if we don’t take care of ourselves we won’t be able to take care of anyone else.  

And with that, I’ll take a cup of kindness yet for the sake of auld lang syne – I’m going for a nap! Take care and hopefully see you soon.