Nurses are essential players in all health and policy arenas

Nurses are essential players in all health and policy arenas Health system design and performance solutions are on the minds of policy makers everywhere. No matter where you look countries are wrestling with rising healthcare costs, ageing populations, the double burden of non-communicable and infectious diseases, higher public expectations (along with the call for patient-centred care and greater engagement in decision-making), and pressure to demonstrate progress in global targets such as the Millennium Development Goals. Communication technology and social networking mean that people are more aware of their rights and of healthcare issues: they want access to an affordable continuum of services, including home care. In response to this global state of affairs, the World Health Organization (WHO) and others are calling for countries to adopt new financing and delivery mechanisms that support universal access and universal health coverage (WHO, 2014). Outcomes, cost and quality continue to dominate healthcare decision-making. Organizations, such as the internationally recognized Institute for Healthcare Improvement, are calling for solutions that simultaneously address quality of care and patient satisfaction, improve population health, and reduce healthcare costs (IHI, 2014). In other words, innovative and cost effective solutions in a variety of health sectors and academia – solutions that enhance and go beyond nurse-led clinics, outreach and health promotion – are needed in today’s health arena. Designing, implementing, managing and evaluating these solutions require a scaling up of the leadership and management capacity of nurses and health professionals at all levels and in all health sectors and settings, including regulation and academia. The International Council of Nurses (ICN) leads the way in the development of global health leaders. ICN has been a pioneer in leadership, management and negotiation skill development through its highly successful Leadership for ChangeTM (LFC) and Leadership in Negotiation (LIN) programmes, as well its Global Nursing Leadership Institute (GNLI). These ICN initiatives assist nurses in developing leadership skills. Nurses learn how to assert themselves as essential players in all health and social policy arenas, and how to combine innovation with proven know-how to achieve optimal outcomes in healthcare and communities. The LFC programme is close to celebrating two decades of empowering nurses. Active since 1996 and implemented in more than 70 countries, LFC is a copyrighted and trademarked action-learning leadership programme for nurses and other health professionals. The programme vision is that 21st century nurses will have the knowledge, strategies and ability to lead and manage in complex and dynamic nursing and health service arenas so as to influence the development of the profession and the advancement of health and social policies towards healthier futures for all populations. LFC empowers nurses to engage in the development of health and social policy; be effective and dynamic leaders and managers; align the contribution of the profession in socioeconomic, professional and regulatory developments; and maintain and advance their own competence as well as identify, develop and support future generations of leaders. The successful LFC methodology includes workshops, team projects, individual and group learning activities, mentoring and individual development plans. A unique Training of Trainers approach extends the programme in a format whereby in-country certified trainers implement LFC under a licensing Stephanie Ferguson, PhD, RN bs_banner ICN