New – “Nursing Now”

Empower nurses to improve global health: lifting the profile of Nurses and Midwives

Nursing Now is a three-year global nursing campaign run in collaboration with the International Council of Nurses and the World Health Organization. It aims to improve health globally by raising the profile and status of nursing, worldwide – influencing policy makers and supporting nurses to lead and build a global movement. Nursing Now was launched on 28^th Feb 2018 by HRH the Duchess of Cambridge with nurses and health leaders across the world. The Pacific was represented by Ms Elizabeth Iro who recently joined WHO headquarters as Chief Nursing Officer.

Nursing Now is based on the findings of the “Triple Impact” report. The report concluded that as well as improving health globally, empowering nurses would contribute to improved gender equality – as the vast majority of nurses are still women – and build stronger economies. The campaign focuses on five strategic areas:

• Ensuring that nurses and midwives have a more prominent voice in health policy-making;

• Encouraging greater investment in the nursing workforce;

• Recruiting more nurses into leadership positions;

• Conducting research that helps determine where nurses can have the greatest impact; and

• Sharing best nursing practices.

Nurses are at the heart of most health teams, playing a crucial role in health promotion, disease prevention and treatment. As the health professionals who are closest to the community they have a particular role in developing new models of community based care, community engagement and support local efforts to promote health and prevent disease.

The Nursing Now global campaign wants to make sure that all nurses and midwives across the globe, in every role at every level, are skilled and supported to develop and strengthen nursing and midwifery practice, mobilise others and really make change happen. The campaign can be adapted to suit the Pacific environment – an opportunity to raise the profile of Pacific nurses.

For more information, please download background paper