Editorial

Reasons to be cheerful

This can be a bleak time of year and many of us are facing a myriad of challenges. There is so much uncertainty and it can feel like we are working on shifting sand.

Pressures

Trying to deliver patient care against a backdrop of rising demand, major financial pressures and structural changes is a strain. It is hard to witness the needs of patients waiting longer, or not getting the care they need, and wish we could do more.

Despite this, there are reasons to be cheerful. Our work is valued, by patients, by families and by society at large. Nurses are not very good at valuing ourselves, or saying how much we value each other. My work at the RCN is to help us do that and raise the profile of the amazing work which nurses are doing daily, and the innovations and developments they are leading – all while being under immense pressure.

Inspiration

I have been inspired by so many innovative and dynamic nurses who have contacted me directly to share their good practice, from community nurses working in rural settings to general practice nurses in inner cities, working in new ways in care homes and students sharing their experiences.

We should be proud of what we do as nurses and we should blow the trumpet for each other.

So let’s work together and promote what we do as nurses. If you are doing something new, or something we should know about, I – with Primary Health Care – can help you reach a wider audience. Together we will have a bigger voice in calling for the things we need.


About the author

Kathryn Yates

Kathryn Yates is professional lead in primary, community and integrated care at the Royal College of Nursing 

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