Letter from the Chair
It's great to be able to write to you all again. As you will have gathered from the last time we met, there has been a number of developments in the Forum Transition Project. We will, this year, be merging with the Critical Care Forum. This is obviously a worrying time for some and a very exciting time for others.
Key Stakeholders Day
In an attempt to engage with our key stakeholders we are keen to meet with them and discuss how we can work collaboratively to support the work of in-flight nurses. We have made several attempts to get this day arranged. It has proven difficult owing to changes within the RCN and diary availability.
Our new Forum Adviser (Alan Dobson) is in full support of this day. The committee is keen to engage with the stakeholders to understand what in-flight companies require in the future and how as a forum we can not only support the companies and providers, but also the nurses who engage with them.
Forum merging
As part of the forum transition process many of the existing forums have merged together to create a larger forum, which covers similar specialisms. The RCN Nursing Department has been working closely with these groups to agree the structure of each new steering committee. Once the merger process has been completed the forum will begin working with the new chair and steering committee as one group with agreed broad objectives and aims.
The newly named Critical Care and In-Flight Nursing Forum has yet to decide on committee members. At this stage the RCN will be writing to the previous forum steering group members on behalf of the new chair to thank them for their time and contributions. The letter will also explain that the various constituent forums in the existing structure will be dissolved in October in line with Council's decision for the new forum structure.
Until that happens, chairs of existing forums retain chair status and can, for example, sign off Council nomination forms as they are not being dissolved until October. Where new chairs have been elected they can also sign off Council nomination forms.
Where forums are merging, but have not yet completed this process, the Nursing Department advisers/co-ordinators will continue to work to resolve this before October.
The Forum Governance Group has taken a keen interest in this process and we will be compiling a further report for them for their next meeting.
The way forward
The Forum Transition Project is approaching the end of its first year. The Forum Governance Group (FGG) met again at the beginning of June in a positive session, with the group agreeing that some of the new processes were starting to come into effect and that many of the forums and chairs felt more comfortable with the transition process. We were also able to approve some very exciting bids for forum work
Tim Curry, RCN Service Development Manager, updated us on the progress within the Nursing Department, especially around the mapping process of forum bids that is underway to provide clarity and vision for the new forums.
The input of forum chairs to this process has been invaluable. He also updated us on the progress of a "wiki "site for forum chairs to pilot new e-forms and ways of working, which are in the final stages of development.
Communications is still an area that needs work and thought, and the e-delivery of newsletters as well as online communities is something that the transition team are giving a lot of thought to.
New committee elections
For the first time ever the RCN is running online elections and members will be called upon to cast their vote using this new system, which is being managed by the Electoral Reform Society. The steering committees for the forums will take office from 1 October 2009. This is an excellent opportunity to work with other forum members and be engaged in one of the largest forums in the RCN.
"Small is beautiful" in terms of the IFNA being part of a so much larger forum, the Critical Care and In-Flight Nursing Forum. The working arrangements for the forums have yet to be ironed out and this will largely be decided on by the new committee.
If you are interested in joining the committee, elections will be occurring in 2010. This is an excellent opportunity for work to be completed that requires new energy and ideas. The committee will consist of nine members until voting is complete.
I look forward to sharing more information with you in November at our next study day.