Political Leadership How to influence! And Current OH Issues Carol Bannister Royal College of Nursing of the United Kingdom

Political Leadership in Action - Influencing Policymaking Identify the issue you are seeking to change Turn the Issue into a proposal for policy change Map out your supporters within your constituency and start talking Work with your supporters to develop a collective voice Identify the policy outcomes you all agree you want to see Identify your stakeholders and decide whether they will support you or not Construct different messages for different stakeholders to gain their support using evidence and experience - start lobbying Build and use your networks to influence the outcomes you desire - seek to collaborate Negotiate coalitions and align common goals with other stakeholder bodies Review learning, evaluate policy outcomes and implementation process Health policy change Step 1 Step 7 Step 6 Step 5 Step 4 Step 3 Step 2 Step 9 Step 8 Step 11 Step 10 Identify the issue & the policy solution Plan your influencing strategy Make it happen Evaluate your impact

What you need Political Coach& Political Mentor u Credible within policy/political field u Be committed to developing you as a political leader u Monitor your performance and assist to collect evidence to demonstrate effectiveness u Have time and energy to support you

Identify the issue & the policy solution  Identify the issue you are seeking to change  Turn the Issue into a proposal for policy change  Map out your supporters within your constituency and start talking

Plan your influencing strategy  Work with your supporters to develop a collective voice  Identify the policy outcomes you all agree you want to see  Identify your stakeholders and decide whether they will support you or not

Make it happen  Construct different messages for different stakeholders to gain their support using evidence and experience - start lobbying  Build and use your networks to influence the outcomes you desire - seek to collaborate  Negotiate coalitions and align common goals with other stakeholder bodies  Health policy change

RCN Principles- a framework for evaluating health and social care policy – 4 main principles u Quality u Accountability u Equality u Partnership

Quality Dignity Safety Standards Sustainability Competence Responsibility

Accountability Involvement Trust Leadership Transparency

Equality Advocacy Diversity Access Universality Equity

Partnership Consultation and Negotiation Representation Legitimacy Collaborative decision making

Welfare Reform Bill, UK 2006 Quality Standards u Working across government departments for a seamless policy delivery and UK wide standard setting. Dignity u Promoting self reliance, dignity and independence u Work as a positive route out of welfare for those able to make the transition Competence u Access to quality standards u Access to training and support and supervision u Competence, u Capability assessment training

Welfare Reform Bill, UK 2006 Accountability Transparency u Partnership approach to legislation/policy implementation Involvement u Role of general practice staff and primary care teams u Role of occupational health nurses u Role of school nurses

Welfare Reform Bill, UK 2006 Equality Equity u Overcoming poverty, exclusion and disadvantage u Investment in individuals in a stable and growing economy Access u Principles of devolved government and diversity u Access to appropriate infrastructure - for return to work u Widening access - Poor coverage of OH service provision across the UK u to case management and sickness certification Universality u ‘best practice’ - Pathways to work pilot roll out u Workforce capacity building

Welfare Reform Bill, UK 2006 Partnership Representation, Consultation, collaboration and negotiation u Employer and employee engagement u OH Professionals u Claimants u Other stakeholders – e.g. single issue lobby groups

The RCN welcomes: u Promoting self reliance and independence u Work as a positive route out of welfare for those able to make the transition u Overcoming poverty, exclusion and disadvantage u Investment as individuals in a stable and growing economy u Working across government departments for a seamless policy delivery u Principles of devolved government and diversity

Key Policy Messages for OHN’s u Partnership approaches and involvement of nurses and other stakeholders at all stages u respect for the views of nurses u Valuing and enhancing the skills of nurses u Sufficient funding for workforce planning, capacity building, training and supervision u Access to sickness certification by nurses – change in Law u Infrastructure of occupational health care to enable all to benefit u National standards of competence and service delivery to achieve equity

Key issues for nurses in practice u Access to appropriate infrastructure for management of return to work u Promotion of rehabilitation and recruitment ‘best practice’ - Pathways to work pilot roll out u Role of general practice staff and primary care teams u Role of occupational health u Role of school nurses

Key issues for nurses in practice u Placement of employment advisers u Access to quality standards u Access to training and support u Competence, recruitment and training u Workforce capacity building u Widening access to case management and sickness certification u Employer engagement

Nurses want to help! u Partnership approaches u Valuing all professional practitioner input to the process u Valuing and enhancing the skills of nurses u Sufficient funding for workforce planning and training u Sickness certification by other health care workers u Capacity building for nursing support u Infrastructure of occupational health care to enable all to benefit

Evaluate your impact  Review learning, evaluate policy outcomes and implementation process

NMC and 3 rd part of the Register u NMC web pages for portfolio route at the end of the month u Access information and guidance and pack u Practice educators needed for OHN practice parts of the curriculum u Specialist content to remain in courses 4 generic and 2 specialist routes.

Welfare reform summit u RCN activists from range of nursing backgrounds u Meet on 27 th October –Improving access to work –Reducing sickness absence and sick certification by nurses –Investing in wellness and occupational health –Addressing work related heath –Public health approaches

Commissioning Work and Health for the NHS u RCN to act as an expert witness for commissioning needs u Raising the profile of health and work given the targets trust have to meet u What can OH do for trusts and employers u What is needed in the future given government agenda.

Now - your policy!!