“I want nursing and midwifery to be the most attractive career choices for health professionals” – Sue Tranka, Chief Nursing Officer for Wales.

Chief Nursing Officer (CNO) for Wales, Sue Tranka has outlined her ambitious plans for the Nursing and Midwifery professions at today’s CNO Wales Conference.

Areas of focus for the next two years will include supporting and growing the workforce, ensuring professional and health care equity and improving patient outcomes.

Developed in collaboration with stakeholders, the five priorities are:

·        Leading the profession - invest in and develop nurse and midwife leaders at all levels in health and social care through dedicated leadership programmes;

·        Workforce - close the vacancy gap and attract, recruit and retain a motivated, skilled workforce;

·        Making the professions attractive - inspire people to enter the nursing and midwifery professions as the most attractive healthcare career choice in Wales;

·        Improving health and social care outcomes - deliver equitable, good-quality, person-centred care; and

·        Professional equity and healthcare equality - create a nursing and midwifery workforce that reflects the population it serves and addresses inequalities.

Chief Nursing Officer for Wales, Sue Tranka said:

This is the first time the CNO priorities have been actively set in collaboration with the Executive Directors of Nursing from NHS health boards, trusts and special health authorities in Wales. Given the pace that will be required to realise these priorities over the next two years, taking a truly collaborative approach in their design was important to me to ensure a sense of collective ownership.”

“My priorities outline a number of actions that I will support and promote as the head of the professions, but I am under no illusions that I will be solely leading the delivery of this work. The themes and areas covered within these priorities span several different parts of the NHS, and much of the work will be supported, promoted and implemented by those working in the system.”

“It is clear to me that leadership of the professions is a central part of the system developments needed to allow our health services to continue providing high quality care for our patients into the future. I am keen therefore to guide the workforce through the inevitable transitions that lie ahead of us and inspire more people to choose nursing or midwifery as dynamic and rewarding careers.”

The first CNO Conference in Wales since the pandemic, this event will allow those in the professions to reflect, share their experiences and celebrate successes following a challenging time for nurses and midwives.

In addition, the conference will officially launch the CNO Excellence Awards, to recognise and celebrate those who make an exceptional contribution and a real difference to people’s lives.