Questions and Answers
This is an area where I will post my responses to any of your questions. If you want to email a question, please send it to me at dave@nursingleadership.org.uk and I will post your question up here and my response.
What personal qualities will you bring to RCN Council?
I believe that both the candidates in the North West Region would make excellent Council members and we are both passionately committed to supporting members and to developing nursing. In my case, I also have 25 years' experience as an RCN activist as a branch secretary, steward, forum chair, etc and have been a Regional Board member since its creation.
These various roles have given me a deep understanding of the needs of all the members in our region and I will work tirelessly on behalf of all these members, whether they are a branch or forum activists, whether they are a steward, safety or learning representative or whether they have chosen not to be active in the RCN.
How do you believe RCN Council can best serve its members?
I believe that the most important challenges over the next 4 years are:
1) Fighting for decent pay and pension arrangements for both NHS and independent sector nurses and HCAs
2) Protect staffing levels and campaigning against any organisation that tries to cut staffing levels
3) Providing more study and development opportunities for nurses, particularly those who cannot afford it themselves
4) Building stronger links between the boards and branches and forums and involve more members in the work of the RCN
As well this, Council has to ensure that all its decisions are made in an open and transparent manner with members fully consulted in all decisions that affect them. Council needs to be more accountable to the members it serves and represents and I am committed to using a variety of approaches to improve this accountability.