Across the UK, nurses and midwives stand at the forefront of healthcare delivery, serving as care providers, advocates, and educators. However, as the NHS grapples with increased pressures and long-term workforce shortages, the need for these nurses and midwives to raise their voices and influence decision-making processes has never been more critical.

Today, healthcare is at a pivotal juncture, where the convergence of technological innovation, patient empowerment, and evolving care models is continually shaping its future. The recent Autumn budget represents a tangible opportunity for the NHS to address some of the most pressing needs and drive improvements in healthcare delivery. However, the success of any initiative will depend on strategic resource allocation, as well as bold and collaborative action that both involves and supports the current workforce.

Standing up for the future of nursing

Recognising the challenges that healthcare systems are up against, the Florence Nightingale Foundation and Elsevier Health partnered to identify and address the barriers and opportunities that healthcare professionals face today. The collaboration aimed to empower nurses and midwives to foster a culture of evidence-based practice, to influence clinical practice through informed decision-making and continuous improvement, and to address the evolving issues across global healthcare delivery.

Through a series of facilitated workshops with professional insights from experts across health and academia, this partnership explored the barriers nurses and midwives currently face and the emerging possibilities that await them. This dialogue formed the basis of actionable recommendations across four key areas to help healthcare professionals engage in driving change and shaping the future of healthcare within their respective professions. The four areas are:

  • Building leadership skills to empower nurses and midwives as advocates for improving healthcare delivery.
  • Developing a professional brand to enhance networking capabilities.
  • Understanding the processes for progress and cultivating political acumen to influence change.
  • Responsibly integrating AI tools into clinical workflows while simultaneously recognising potential risks.

Strategies for influence

While many nurses and midwives aspire to influence policy and decision-making processes, thinking about and enacting big-picture changes can often seem too daunting or time-consuming, especially considering the complexity of the current healthcare system in the UK.

Establishing integrated care systems (ICSs) and integrated care boards (ICBs) has created new avenues to influence policy, bringing together local organisations, councils, and other partners to plan and deliver integrated health and care services. This integrated approach extends to workforce planning and development, offering numerous opportunities for nurses and midwives to contribute their expertise and insights to shape the working environment around them.

However, the issue of not knowing where to begin when wanting to create change can often discourage people from ever starting at all. This is especially true given the size of these all-encompassing bodies.
When nurses and midwives are reflecting on the aspects of the system they aim to alter and identifying the role they can play, they should always determine:

  • Where their experience can have the biggest impact.
  • Where they can exert influence and expand connections across their ICS and ICB.
  • Which organisations can adequately support them.

By identifying the specific spheres it is possible to influence within your organisation, profession, and the broader system, you will start to understand where you can make a difference — whether at the local, national, or international level. Moreover, setting clear goals and breaking them down into manageable steps is crucial for nurses and midwives seeking to effect change. Focusing on incremental progress means each healthcare professional can contribute to significant improvements over time.

The expanded and pivotal role of nurses and midwives

The landscape of nursing and midwifery is undergoing significant transformation, reflecting the broader changes observed across our health systems. Because of this rapidly evolving environment, nurses and midwives are now stepping into multifaceted roles that extend far beyond traditional clinical care. To stay at the forefront of healthcare advancement, nurses and midwives need to cultivate digital skills and embrace a commitment to ongoing education, keeping pace with the latest evidence-based practices and innovations.

Technology, especially AI, presents an incredible opportunity to elevate patient care and outcomes. Nurses and midwives play a crucial role in the adoption and integration of AI, and their insights will help shape the future of care. As leaders and lifelong learners, they should not only adapt to these changes but drive them, ensuring that the right innovations are integrated into their workflow and that healthcare remains patient-centred and future-ready.

Empowering nurses to activate change

Elsevier Health understands the contemporary challenges facing nursing and midwifery. Through our partnerships with organisations such as the Florence Nightingale Foundation (a charity supporting nurses and midwives to improve care and save lives), we are helping healthcare professionals elevate their voices and influence change around them.

By providing evidence-based tools and solutions, we aim to build confidence and support nurses and midwives through each stage of their career – whether by expanding knowledge and decision-making through ClinicalKey AI and ClinicalKey Nursing, or enhancing competencies for students in training with Clinical Skills training.

As they take up an expanded role, we are enabling nurses and midwives to drive efficiencies, supporting decision-making and care planning processes through evidence-based learning, ultimately elevating patient care and outcomes.

For those who are inspired to influence the future of global health and care, actionable recommendations can be found in the What Do You Stand For report.

TIm Morris, Vice President, Go-to-Market, Elsevier