A passion for promoting you

Published: 24 November 2011

The RCN has a new leader at the helm of its governing Council. Professor Kath McCourt took up the role last month and reflects here on the historic decision to make health care assistants full members of the RCN

Kath It’s been a month now since RCN members voted overwhelmingly in favour of giving health care assistants (HCAs) full membership of the College. It was an historic moment for our 93-year-old organisation and reflects just how much the nursing team has changed in recent years. Personally, I think it marks how much nurses value the work that you do.

That said, we must resist the temptation to stand still and just celebrate a good result. The hard work must continue. The RCN can and will do more to represent HCAs and assistant practitioners (APs). You deserve the same support and guidance provided to your nurse colleagues and I’m determined that you get it.

The annual general meeting (AGM) was also important for me as it was the moment that I formally became the RCN’s new Chair of Council. Having been actively involved in the RCN for many years, I know how much pressure frontline staff can be under and the current climate is no exception. In my time as Chair of Council, I want to see HCAs and APs provided with more resources that can really help you in your role.

Our First Steps resource, which we launched earlier this year, is a brilliant beginning to this new era for HCAs and the RCN. If you haven’t looked at this fantastic set of tools, make sure you get online and see it for yourself. It covers all the essentials, particularly if you’ve just started your career and want to know more about the sort of work that nurses should be delegating to you and what you’re able to say ‘no’ to.

Resources like this are just the beginning; we want to include HCAs and APs in everything we do. Make sure you keep up to date with all the latest RCN news and developments – we’ll want to know what you think about key issues. In the meantime, allow me to thank you for being a member of this fantastic organisation – together we can improve patient care, defend jobs and services and ensure that the nursing voice is heard loud and clear.