by Walter De Caro
26 GEN – Dear Director,
first of all thanks to the opportunity to intervene again on the current debate linked to the nursing issue referred to in the note from FNOPI, Andprosan, Proia, Mammì and others, deservedly published in Quotidiano Sanità. CNAI expresses support and support to all the Organizations engaged in the enhancement of the profession and supports the forms of exercise allowed aimed at making the voice and the discomfort of nursing heard.
What has happened in recent months is that the nursing professions that represent the highest expression of commitment at the forefront of the pandemic fight, despite their total dedication and self-denial to the well-being and health of citizens, continue to feel constantly powerless and not listen.
Their voice is essentially ignored by many of the institutional decision makers and by politics, and by the media it is often used in an improper and instrumental way.
This situation, combined with the very serious staff shortages due, mainly, to obvious programming errors, the continuous divestment, the persistence of certain bureaucratic constraints, the complex organizational and personal situations linked to the pandemic, are leading to the deterioration of the physical and mental well-being of many professionals, to the motivational disaster and the abandonment of professions, with the obvious related sequelae.
Long before the pandemic began, nurses felt that their concerns were not being taken seriously, and now, two years later, these feelings have not changed – they have consolidated.
Many decisions, and as many non-decisions, not only appear to be taken at the expense of nurses and citizens, but seem to aim at maintaining unaltered balances, powers and systems of relationships, even within the profession, instead of with nurses: with PNRR resources it seems really, as from leopard memory that everything changes for the structures, but nothing is aimed at changing for those who work inside.
The State, the Ministry, the Regions and the Agencies (in all its collaborative expressions), make promises but in reality postpone the courageous choices and investments that must instead be made quickly. It is necessary to become aware of this and to note that many aspects of communication, of mediation, of dialogue at different levels have turned out to be very small.
The “real” and strategic partnership between Governments, subsidiary Bodies and Agencies, the private world, the social world, especially with the contribution of the free scientific, cultural and professional world of associations, at an international level has led to vigorous developments in terms of a more supported path career, salary increases and the achievement of the expansion to the upper limits of professional action in the field of skills, advanced practice (autonomy and prescription) and strategic leadership.
In Italy, public acknowledgments, gratitude and praise are not followed by concrete and stable actions, aimed at following up the challenges that nurses have to face every day, no real innovation or paradigm shift for the profession. Furthermore, the premises of the contract do not seem – not at all – to be aimed at designing a different future or even at giving the desired change of pace in terms of remuneration and enhancement of professional skills.
Also in this case very scarce resources and a river of bla bla bla.
Great concern must also be expressed for the drift on social media, for the “belly” and reactive opinions of some organizations with respect to contributions without perspective, often for the search for easy consensus.
This has hindered the right professional needs and left national and international scientific documents and evidence crucial for professional development on the sidelines of political and cultural debate, developed thanks to the meritorious work of organizations and nurses who day after day deepen and strive for development. coordinated and responsible for nursing.
One can only express concern: the current situation seems to lead to dramatic consequences for the development of the entire nursing profession.
We can only hope for the intervention requested by several parties, by the political and strategic Authorities, which in any case must be better supported and supported in order to obtain the radical change of direction and to be able to rapidly offer significant and drastic measures of change. At the same time, one cannot seek the “Italian” way every time, ignoring what is happening to the professions on a global level. The pandemic should have taught us that!
CNAI with the Associations and Scientific Societies of the Network of Italian Nursing Organizations (NOII), www.cnai.pro/noii, and the Forum of the Health Professions of Federsanità, already in December 2021 presented at the Forum Risk Management of Arezzo, published at the same time in Quotidiano Sanità, one call for action based on the indications of the roadmap for nursing until 2025 by WHO Europe, with the support of EFNNMA in the 4 reference areas: 1) Working conditions, 2) Basic and advanced training, 3) Expansion of functions, 4) Enhancement of nurses, available on CNAI website.
The goal is to finally see a transformative strategy for the nursing professions applied in Italy, aimed at making them much more attractive, offering career advancement paths, optimizing the development of practice and skills, strengthening nursing training programs and developing specific quality standards, improving working conditions and professional well-being, with virtuously positive repercussions for the health service and citizenship.
Actions speak louder than words and nurses are and must increasingly be a profession of “activists”, of people committed to a better society.
CNAI, in announcing the progress of the “Italian Nursing Week” from 9 to 15 May 2022 with the theme (chosen by the ICN, which CNAI has adhered to since 1949) for the International Day of Nurses on 12 May “Investing in nursing and respecting rights to ensure global health“, supports, proposes and promotes the best use of these events, also with the aim of developing collective initiatives to obtain a wide echo, together with other and different cultural, professional and trade union representatives, to make dialogue with political decision makers even more effective and visible and give concrete demonstration of the strength, even numerical, and of the importance of the nursing profession for the health system.
It is essential to act, in a diversified way, with much more promptness and strength; we are already very late, not doing so would mean taking responsibility for the future degradation of the nursing professions and the negative consequences on the health of citizens that the current system would inevitably continue to produce. If not now, when?
Walter DeCaro
National President of CNAI
Executive Board Member EFFNMA
January 26, 2022
© All rights reserved
Other articles in Letters to the editor
