I worked in the NHS for a long time, but moved to the third sector because I wanted to focus less on targets and more on giving people the best possible care.
Workforce recruitment and retention are some of the biggest challenges facing my organisation, and the wider health and social care system over the next five years.
Now that I work at Marie Curie, I’m excited to be thinking strategically about the charity’s workforce.
Thinking strategically
We have an ageing population but also an ageing workforce. Another five years down line the line, potentially half our workforce will be retiring. I’m pleased that we are doing something with this and that we’re making sure we’re safe for patients and giving high quality care. I’m really proud to be involved in that.
Another priority is having better electronic systems to share data such as care plans and patient notes. We’ve got nurses out in the nursing service who sometimes have very little information. We really need to protect our staff by having robust systems in place that allow them to get the data they need in a timely fashion.
Where the NMC could do more
Like the NMC, Marie Curie is a UK-wide organisation, and sometimes struggles with the differences in the health and social care environment between the four countries. I would like the NMC to use its influence to increase consistency across the UK, for example in relation to the use of titles.
The NMC needs to do more to engage with nurses, midwives and nursing associates who don’t understand its role in their working lives. Similarly, I’m not convinced that the public truly know the NMC exists. I think it’s helpful if they know it’s there and why it’s there.
A big fan of coproduction
Having been to one of the NMC’s strategy development roundtables, I’m a big fan of the ‘coproduction’ approach. I like the fact that you’re consulting with people from different backgrounds. I certainly felt listened to and I’m sure other people in the room felt listened to.
I hope the end result of the strategy development process reflects everyone’s feedback.
You can do as much good work as you like but you must then produce something that’s recognisable from the consultation or you can undo all the good work that you’ve done.
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