Debra Thoms

My vision is for a world that embraces and invests in nurses in the delivery of health care. Nurses that are enabled to take leadership in both the design and delivery of care. ICN as the key organization internationally representing nurses worldwide has a key role in bringing this to the attention of international leaders and organizations and working with NNAs to support and drive change locally.

A key challenge is the nursing workforce. The world is facing increasing health challenges (including the delivery of health care in areas of conflict) and the numbers of nurses available to meet these challenges is predicted to be insufficient. Thus, there is a need for continued investment in the nursing workforce. While this includes pay and conditions there is a continued need for countries to understand and recognize that an investment in nurses is an investment in the growth of a country and society more broadly. ICN has a key role in enabling countries to reach this understanding and in supporting nurses to advocate within health systems. If we are to meet the health needs of communities in the future, then nurses need to be enabled and supported to function to the best of their education. There are still many disparities around the world in the education and utilization of nursing knowledge in the provision of health care.

NCDs continue to present challenges worldwide, and nurses have a key role in addressing these and at the same time ensuring the provision of universal health care. ICN has been at the forefront of identifying the role that nurses play in addressing NCDs from prevention through to treatment and this work needs to continue.

Climate change is a worldwide issue but is of particular importance to colleagues in the Pacific who are facing the reality of this every day. Climate change not only threatens people’s home and livelihoods but also presents health care challenges. Through the integration of planetary health principles in decision making processes ICN can demonstrate leadership in this area and make a further positive contribution to a healthier and more sustainable world.

As a Board I would like to see a focus on good governance of ICN including financial management. In terms of nursing and health care I would like to see a focus on the nursing workforce – investment and growth, Universal Health Coverage and planetary health. Within these a focus on the contribution and gains that health systems can make through investment in nursing and a recognition of the role nurses can play at all levels of the system in achieving improvements in the health of communities worldwide.