Getting the voice of RCN Eastern members heard

My name is Theresa Porrett, and I am privileged to be your RCN Council member for the Eastern region. 

I want to introduce myself, give you a little bit of background about my nursing career and my focus to ensure RCN Eastern is positively represented at RCN Council. My clinical practice has been in the field of stoma care and colorectal nursing, as a clinical nurse specialist and then nurse consultant. My current role sees me working as education and strategic project manager for a company developing health care products and services. Demonstrating the value of nursing and equipping nurses with the tools to articulate their expertise and service outcomes has been a key focus throughout my clinical career. My experience developing a free to access website resource with colleagues has given me clear insights into the challenges nursing staff face when being asked to prove their value and worth.

I am passionate about nursing, which I consider to be a safety critical expert profession, the value of which is poorly articulated and demonstrated. Currently the trade union activities of the college are at the forefront of everyone’s focus and moving forward we will need an equally strong professional nursing voice as we work to address safe staffing, workforce planning and recruitment and retention challenges. We need strong, professional nursing representation and involvement in key decisions being made externally around health care policy and internally within the college.

Since becoming your Council representative at the end of January, I have attended my first Council meeting, the focus of which was on the escalation of strike action and the increase in strike benefit. I have spoken to Natalie, your RCN Eastern Board Chair, to enable me to understand your challenges and views. Natalie and I will continue to talk regularly to ensure you are kept updated on Council activities. I also have had the opportunity to attend the Eastern board meeting in February and I have already taken forward a number of queries raised by the board. I also met with Regional Director Teresa Budrey, which has given me great insight into the region and the resources and facilities available to us all.

Communication is key if I am to effectively represent you at Council, and understanding your challenges, concerns and your vision for the future of nursing and the work of the College is a priority for me. Please feel free to contact me directly by email, via the board or your local branch chairs. I am looking forward to my first RCN Congress in May and I hope to meet many of you there.

Throughout my career, I have published and spoken widely about the value and impact that nurses bring to services and patients. As your representative, I will continue to do this and I am committed to ensuring that the professional issues which matter to you, and the wider profession, are heard and inform the RCN’s future strategy.

And last but not least, thank you. You are all working under sustained pressure and yet your passion and commitment to the profession is clear to see within the region.