LatestfromourNursePAG

As chair of the Nurses PAG, I wanted to share some of the work and achievements our Nurse Professional Advisory Group (NPAG)havecontributedtointhelastyear,aswellasouraims fortheyearahead

TheNPAGteamisinvolvedinnumerousnationalworkinggroups and Society workstreams Our contributions have been diverse ranging from the State of the Art (SOA) Congress 2022; NHSE Adult Critical Care workforce models; UK Critical Care Nursing Alliance workforce working group; CC3N workforce and establishment expert panel; and an HEE “Scrutiny Group” for a pilot project in SW region to explore the role of critical care Trainee Nursing Associates Our influence in these groups ensuresournursingmembersarerepresentedandhaveavoice inthefutureofcriticalcarenursing

NPAG members of the Society’s Standards & Guidelines Committee have variously reviewed, co-authored, and provided endorsement for publications such as GPICs v21; the Palliative and End of Life Care Information Standard; The transfer of critically ill adults to an outdoor space during end of life care; theIntensiveCareSocietyandBritishThoracicSocietyGuidance on a Model of Care for Specialised Weaning Units; the Critical CareOutreachPractitionerFramework;anHSIBreportontheuse of an appropriate flush fluid with arterial line, and an HSIB working group investigating the impact of staff fatigue on patientsafetyandhowwemanagetherisk

Involvement in the Education Committee also provides us with an opportunity to shape the agendas of SOA, webinars, study days, and podcasts so that they reflect the true multiprofessionalaspectofintensivecare

Liz Staveacre was one of the key representatives in the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) during 2022 which focused on patients, relatives, and the rehabilitation pathway The APPG meets regularly with parliamentarians to discuss issues affecting intensive care This years focus is workforce As Chair oftheNPAG,IattendedaninteractivemeetingatWestminsterin January with Paul Dean (consultant intensivist and the Societys elected Honorary Secretary) To set the scene we both gave a presentation related to GPICS standards compliance and workforce challenges which focused the discussion and raised questions I would never have imagined sitting in Westminster talking to parliamentarians about our workforce challenges without the support of the Society Following this APPG meeting, eightparliamentaryquestionsaboutcriticalcareworkforcewere tabledatParliament,areallypositivestarttotheyear!

SOA is great fun to be part of and we love the addition of the PAG session which truly embodies the Society’s belief that the multi-professional intensive care team is essential to the delivery of patient care, and each profession should have a voiceinshapingthefutureofourspecialty

Our Podcast last year was really entertaining to make, with lots of laughter during recording I hope you had the opportunity to listentousreflectingonourdifferentcareersincriticalcareand intensive care nursing We represent the many different roles andfacesofintensivecare

MichaelaJones NPAGChair

Our NPAG has members that sit in other national roles, Liz is the Vice Chair of the National Outreach forum (NOrF), and Graham is the deputy chair of the Critical Care National Network Nurse Leads Forum (CC3N) and previously was co-chair of the national ODN Directors group These roles further enhance our ability to influence the national direction for intensive care and ensureourmessageisconsistent

We were also proud to hear the fantastic news that Professor LouiseRose ourdeputychair wasawardedanMBEforLifeLines and services to the NHS during the pandemic She was also recentlyelectedasthechairoftheSociety’sResearchDivision

The UK Critical Care Nursing Alliance (UKCCNA) was formed in 2013 and comprises CC3N; the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) Critical Care and In-flight nursing group; the British Association of Critical Care Nurses (BACCN); NOrF; the Paediatric Critical CareSociety(PCCS);and,ofcourse,theIntensiveCareSociety’s NPAG Each professional group and association acts independently under this formidable umbrella Our NPAG chair and deputy chair attend UKCCNA meetings and we aim to represent the Society, to be proactive and visionary about service requirements and provide quality assurance, enhancing theservice,qualityofcare,patientexperienceandoutcomes

A major project for the UKCCNA is the Adult Critical Care Registered Nurse Staffing Standards: Restoration & Recovery, which will be presented to NHS England this month No spoiler alerts except to say that it is ambitious! It aims to reduce variation across the country in terms of RNs per level 3 bed the proportionofband5,6and7,andthepercentageofstaffwitha post registration critical care award -a significant milestone for criticalcarenursing

For 2023 we want to build on the success of SOA actively contributing to the different working groups and committees Work is about to begin on Version 3 of the Guidelines for the Provision of Intensive Care Services (GPICS), and I am proud to saythatIamthesectioneditorforworkforce

We would love to see an increase in nurse membership in the Society and want to hear from you Your voice is our voice, and ourvoiceisyourvoice,andweneedtobelouder!