Global nursing matters

Last week I had the privilege of attending two global nursing events.

The first was the International Council of Nurses (ICN), Council of National Nursing Association Representatives (CNR) meeting. The ICN is a federation of 136 national nurse associations representing millions of nurses worldwide. Operated by nurses and leading nursing internationally, the ICN works to ensure quality nursing care for all and sound health policies globally.

Like our own governance structure, the CNR is the governing body of the ICN and during this bi-annual meeting they set out the direction of the ICN for the next two years. 

During this meeting National Nursing Associations (NNAs) from countries with severe workforce shortages united to raise the challenges of international recruitment. During this discussion I felt it only right to condemn the UK’s over-reliance on the international workforce and unethical recruitment practices. Whilst we hugely value the internationally recruited nurses that are already here, and the massive contribution they make to health and care in the UK, it was important for me to reaffirm our own commitment, made at RCN Congress last year, to lobbying employers to offer responsible human resources policies with transparent terms and conditions, which protect both individual nursing staff and global health.

The ICN agreed that ‘donor’ countries must be compensated fairly for staff who find jobs abroad, to allow those countries to raise nursing salaries at home and bolster their nursing education programmes.

Now back in the UK, I am working closely with RCN colleagues to explore how we can better collaborate with NNAs from countries which the UK is heavily recruiting from, to ensure cross-border recruitment is done ethically and without detriment to global health.

An emergency motion presented by the Norwegian Nurses Association was passed at the CNR meeting, which condemned the violation of migrants’ human rights, including their right to health. It restated the belief that humanitarian treatment of migrants requires a vast array of rights to be protected and opposition to all forms of discrimination and oppression.

We are often led to believe that politics should be kept firmly out of nursing. While the College remains neutral in party politics, the CNR meeting really reminded me that we do have an obligation to speak out on matters of injustice, particularly in relation to health and care.

I was so delighted to see the RCN recognised at the CNR meeting with the silver ICN membership ‘Inclusiveness and Representative Award’. This award is given to organisations to recognise that they represent at least fifty percent of the nursing workforce in their country - and with over half a million members at present, the RCN proudly does this. This award shows that our College really is the voice of nursing in the UK. Every action we take, from resolutions at Congress to recent industrial action, is led by you, our members.

Following the CNR meeting, I joined RCN Vice-President Tracey Budding at the ICN Congress. The theme this year was ‘Nurses Together: A Force for Global Health’ and was an opportunity for nurses, researchers, and national nursing associations from across the globe to come together to explore, debate and unite on some of the significant challenges facing the nursing community globally. It was a wonderful experience!

ICN Congress provided a platform for me to highlight the work of the College and identify what else we can do to support our colleagues across the world.

On the second day, I was invited to be a panelist at the European Regional Session which explored the role of nursing in delivering universal health coverage through primary health. The WHO is clear that “good health systems are rooted in the communities they serve.” I highlighted that to achieve universal health coverage, governments must take urgent action to grow the nursing workforce and ensure education systems prepare nurses to work in primary care settings.

I also spoke about our recent strikes. I told the audience about the challenges around pay, recruitment and retention facing nursing staff here in the UK, which left members with no choice but to fight for their profession, our NHS and its patients through strike action.

I was struck by the audience’s response, and it was clear that so many other nursing associations are facing the same challenges as us. Many of them stressed how they did not win their demands straight away. This confirms the action you have all taken in recent months is just the beginning and that our fight for fair pay and safe staffing is far from over.

I know some members have questioned our decision last year to re-join the ICN. But having spent the week meeting, sharing and learning with nursing colleagues from around the world, I am convinced that this was the right course of action. Being a member of the ICN allows us to promote our own expertise globally and have an international voice in matters affecting our profession. I have been inspired by the vital work the ICN does to support nurses across the globe and I am committed to exploring what more we can do as a College to support it. 

With this in mind, I’m urging all members to consider sharing their stories and experiences with the ICN for their "Caring with Courage” series. This is an excellent opportunity to showcase the realities of modern nursing and the brilliance of UK nursing professionals on the global stage.