Letter from the Chair: BERNICE BARKER (Spring 2009)

Published: 22 April 2009

Let's get together!

I'll start my first letter as Chair by once again wholeheartedly thanking June Clark for all her hard work and tireless commitment in this role up till late last year. Rest assured, June remains an invaluable member of your committee.

It is quite a challenge to follow June in any situation, such is her presence and passion. All I can do is promise to do my very best and I will greatly value any comments or feedback from you regarding what specific independent professional support you need as the realities of your local eHealth workplace unfurl at speed.

So, what next?

I'm sure you know there are massive changes taking place around forums in the RCN (if not, read our article about the transition). That means your steering committee is in a turbulent period of re-grouping and re-planning in a totally new forum environment - we ask for your patience during this time. But a possible "new Chair's approach" is forming in my mind and I'd like to share a few bullet points that illustrate my current thinking.

  • First, our members are facing massive eHealth-related challenges as well as opportunities at the frontline across the UK and we recognise that you look to us for professional support in relation to these.
  • We are also aware that the scope of "whole system" eHealth makes the total need huge, but we are few, with relatively limited time and resources.
  • We all therefore need to be quite clear about what are the key issues for nursing 2009-2010 and try to design an approach that links the available resources with effective action - focused on these key issues.
  • We would then have a focused basis for combined action in the forum committee, linked to you in the frontline.

Regarding the forum's transition re-grouping, the steering committee met in late March to consider:

  • what we should define as our key eHealth issues for nursing for the 2009-2010 period (if you have any thoughts to add, let us know)
  • what resources are available to the committee and the frontline membership to work on these issues
  • what achievable actions should we target first.

We will share this with you in the next newsletter and via our website, looking for your support, input and feedback - watch this space!

You can then start to let us know what you think you need to make associated things happen in your local practice area and, where possible, we can then seek extra project support for those areas of "local professional need" on your behalf. But within all this we need to be sure that whatever we do is focused on key needs and is achievable within resources.

Time for 'focused togetherness'

So that's my basic "cunning plan". And remember, we need more committee members. If you'd like to stand for election, the time is now. Just do it - we need you!

More in the next newsletter, but for now my main message to leave with you is: "let's try focused togetherness" as a basis for the action we know is so needed. Together we are strong. Divided we are weak. Together we can take huge strides as nurses towards making eHealth an effective reality in health care - let's do it!

Contact: bbaker@bournemouth.ac.uk with any comments, thoughts ... or if you need advice.