Health Board and Bangor University pledge to support nurse development to mark International Nurses Day 2019
Nurses and Midwives across North Wales will have better access to training and development opportunities as part of a year-long pledge by Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board and Bangor University’s School of Health Sciences.
To mark International Nursing Day on Sunday, May 12, the two organisations have pledged their support to the Nursing Now Cymru programme.
Nursing Now is a global campaign to enhance the influence and contribution nurses and midwives make to improve health, promote gender equality and support economic growth.
Over the coming year, improved access to leadership and innovation support will be made available for both qualified and student nurses and midwives, as well as focussed support for gender equality and closer links with international nursing partners.
The Health Board and the School of Health Sciences are developing a number of new initiatives to improve access to leadership and innovation support.
Qualified staff and students will be eligible to apply for newly developed Nursing Now Fellowships. Nursing Now Fellows will be supported with time and education to deliver a planned piece of work that focuses on clinical practice, education, research or leadership.
Nurses across North Wales will also be supported as part of the international Nightingale Challenge. This international initiative will see 20,000 young nurses, including applicants from North Wales, receive leadership training by May 2020.
A joint project will be launched to celebrate the contribution of LGBT nurses in North Wales.
Links between both the Health Board and Bangor University, and worldwide partner health organisations in countries including Lesotho, Kenya and Ethiopia, will be celebrated over the coming year.
Studentships will also be awarded by the School of Health Sciences to registered nurses and midwives applying for the research Master’s programmes with applications which reflect the values of the Nursing Now 2020 campaign. The School will also award new prizes for the best dissertations written by student nurses or midwives.
Trevor Hubbard, Deputy Executive Director of Nursing for BCUHB, said: “The Nursing Now movement is a global initiative to celebrate and support the development of the future leaders in nursing.
“Our nursing staff work tirelessly to provide outstanding care, and we’re committed to helping them access support and training to support their development over the coming year.
“Ahead of what would have been Florence Nightingale’s 200thbirthday in 2020, we will be focussing our attention on supporting staff who show the innovation, creativity and leadership qualities needed to develop nursing services in North Wales for years to come.
“We’re delighted to be working with Bangor University to support the next generation of nursing leaders in North Wales.”
Dr Jaci Huws, Director of Internationalisation at the School of Health Sciences, Bangor University, said:
“We are fully committed to supporting the Nursing Now 2020 initiative. We are so pleased to be working together with colleagues from BCUHB to support and develop students, and qualified nurses and midwives, in improving global healthcare.”
The programme is led by the World Health Organisation, and supported by the Welsh Chief Nursing Officer.
For more information on how to take part, please contact Dr Jaci Huws, Bangor University: j.huws@bangor.ac.uk, or find information on the BCUHB intranet.
More information on Nursing Now is available at www.nursingnow.org.
Publication date: 10 May 2019