Continuous improvement

There has been remarkable progress and innovation in the 70-year journey of the NHS. We know that further progress and innovation are needed more than ever with the fast-changing pace of the needs of those we serve. I believe that we now need innovation for our NHS to become a system of recovery and prevention that is part of our communities, rather than a separate system that only prioritises treating ill health.

Everyone in the NHS workforce plays a pivotal role in making this a reality and nurses have a variety of skills and attributes to make this happen. I am not sure that we always make the most of these skills and attributes. We can't deliver what we want to without all the parts of the massive machinery that is the NHS workforce working together. Nursing colleagues bring the technical expertise and knowledge but, importantly for me, they set and embed values and behaviours such as dignity, kindness and compassion. This is a really important part of what I believe nursing must do to influence behaviour change.