David Cardwell: a 10-Congress journey from HCA to Council member

Published: 14 November 2012

My name is David Cardwell and I’m a Perioperative Forum committee member and safety representative from the Somerset branch in the South West region.

As a frontline operating department practitioner (ODP) working in anaesthetics, I deliver high quality and safe care to patients undergoing surgery.

I’ve recently been elected as a health practitioner member of RCN Council, representing health care assistants and assistant practitioners (HCAs and APs). It has been a 10-year journey from my first Congress to the day I took my seat following this year’s annual general meeting on 17 October.

I travelled to Harrogate on my own for my first Congress back in 2003, as voting member for the Weston-super-Mare branch. It was a little daunting at first. At the time I had no idea just how much I would get out of attending and how many good friends and great characters I would meet. It was an inspiring week of debates and fringe events. Not only is Congress a massive CPD opportunity - it is really useful in terms of networking too.

My first experience of speaking at the podium was when I supported Tracey Budding from the South Birmingham branch on a resolution to allow nursery nurses to join the RCN. We won, and that moment was a real high point in my RCN Congress experience.

This year I seconded a resolution by Scotland for RCN Council to lobby against payment for organ donation, and we won by a good percentage.
In 2008 I ran for the South West seat on the UK Safety Representatives committee, and came second. I joined the Perioperative Forum committee in 2009 – I was elected unopposed.

In my Council election statement I mentioned my 17 years’ NHS service as well as my experience in the Perioperative Forum. I promised two things: to increase the health practitioner (HP) membership of the RCN, and to see more HCAs and APs becoming stewards, safety representatives, learning representatives, and forum committee members.
There are so many HCAs who don’t yet know they can join the RCN. I would like to get the message out that they can join and double HP membership within the next year.

There are 11,000 health practitioners in the UK. As an ODP, I’m registered with the Health and Care Professions Council, which has a similar code of conduct to the NMC, and I pay £76 a year for my registration. I need to keep up my CPD, like nurses, and the time may come when I choose to upgrade to a degree.

I have enjoyed and contributed to 10 Congress meetings at Harrogate, Bournemouth and Liverpool. My only goal left is to be a proposer for a resolution – they get five minutes rather than two. Give me five minutes instead of two!

I look forward to seeing my nursing brothers and sisters every year, wherever Congress may be.

Please join me in Liverpool for Congress 2013 from 21-25 April