Back in June Marie Cooper shared the news about our new Global Palliative Nursing Network. The first event happened on 11 July and the network is going strong. In this blog Heather Richardson outlines a super opportunity to be a Network Champion!
In December 2019 a number of us met in London to work up some ideas for a new global programme of learning for leaders in palliative care from low- and middle-income countries. We envisaged a relatively small group of around 40 non-clinical leaders, meeting in India the following February drawing on the learning of the Institute of Palliative Medicine in Kerala with support from St Christopher’s.
Four years later a thriving global fellowship is in place with a current cohort of learners of 200+ and an alumnus of at least 400 people. Many of the individual learners have become major change agents in their local area/region and are making a real difference through innovative service development, education and training, community connections and policy change. They remain in contact with other members of the Fellowship, share stories of success and challenge, contribute to the next Fellowship programme by acting as a mentor or teaching as part of the faculty.
You may be wondering why I am telling a story of participants on the Fellowship when this is all about a new network for nurses. Well, I have learnt so much about how to create sustainable and significant change through the Fellowship and the way it works. Most importantly, I think we could draw on some valuable principles to guide the way we develop our new network.
1. Invest always in the next generation of leaders
Right from the beginning Suresh, Libby and I were looking out for the participants who were interested to continue to participate in the Fellowship as mentors or teachers. They have created new capacity, they bring energy and commitment to the ambitions of the programme and a freshness to the learning that other participants really value. We want to do the same in the network.
Our invitation to you: Come and become a champion to be part of that next generation of leaders
2. Spend time building the capability and confidence of these new leaders right from the start
They are often already very gifted and interested but they may not know how good they are or where some small changes to their approach and practice could increase their impact significantly. We are keen to invest in our champions by helping them be strong leaders, networkers, mentors and teachers.
Our invitation to you: Consider signing up for that development opportunity as a champion
3. Create a community of which they can be a part
So many of the outstanding pioneers on the Fellowship were professionally lonely and isolated in their efforts. They didn’t get feedback when they did something amazing; they weren’t supported in their efforts to do something really challenging and most of the time they were planning and implementing their ideas without reference to others with comparable experience. Being part of a community that cares can change that and we are keen to create that for the new champions. We don’t need or want everyone to be the same in the community; in fact we welcome difference. We would love this community to be rich and vibrant – drawing in nurses from different regions in the world, different specialties and different contexts of care.
Our invitation to you: Consider joining the community if you enjoy learning with others, supporting their efforts and sharing your own challenges and opportunities
To apply to become a champion email education@stchristophers.org.uk
Click here to join the Global Palliative Nursing Network.
