James Campbell, Director, Health Workforce at the WHO and previously the Executive Director of the Global Health Workforce Alliance has been conferred with an Honorary Fellow of RCSI (Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland) Faculty of Nursing & Midwifery. The conferring ceremony took place on Tuesday, 12 April on the occasion of the 40th Anniversary of the Annual International Nursing and Midwifery Research and Education Conference.

James Campbell is a prominent public health leader in human resource management and a keen advocate for the development of strategic workforce planning in healthcare globally. His work focuses on ensuing that the health workforce required to deliver universal health coverage is fit for purpose and fit to practice.

In his current role, James provides leadership to key global initiatives including reviews of the relevance and effectiveness of the Global Code of Practice on the International Recruitment of Health Personnel and the WHO’s Global Strategy on Human Resources for Health: Workforce 2030. Critically, these outputs inform WHO and the World Health Assembly, and influence policy directions. In 2013, an aptly titled report A Universal Truth: No Health Without a Workforce provided a cutting-edge analysis of the status of human resources for health, identifying key priorities for the next 20 years. Additionally, his work on the State of the World’s Nursing 2020 presented a compelling case for considerable – yet feasible – investment in nursing education, jobs, and leadership.

Commenting on his award, James Campbell said: "I am honoured to accept this Honorary Fellowship from the RCSI Faculty of Nursing & Midwifery. The health and care workforce is a critical resource providing services that impact Universal Health Coverage (UHC), global health security and COVID-19. Nurses and midwives, in particular are central to the achievement of globally playing a critical role in the health and well-being of our nations and our local communities, and often work in settings where this is limited or no access to doctors, hospitals or pharmacies. I am delighted that, WHO initiatives such as the Government Chief Nursing and Midwifery Officers Forum, the Nursing Now campaign and our work with the International Council of Nurses (ICN) and the International Confederation of Midwives (ICM) continues to promote the importance of investment in nurses. In many countries we are already seeing more nurses taking on advanced roles, more nurse-led clinics and nurses playing a greater role in primary care."

Honorary Fellowships were also awarded to Professor Jean Watson, nursing theorist and Professor Michael West CBE in recognition of their outstanding scholarship and contribution to society and the nursing and midwifery professions.

Professor Michael Shannon, Past Dean of the RCSI Faculty of Nursing & Midwifery, said: "We are delighted to present James Campbell, Professor Jean Watson and Professor Michael West with Honorary Fellowships from the RCSI Faculty of Nursing & Midwifery. Nurses and midwives are a critical resource for healthcare delivery, making up 50% of the global workforce. The ground-breaking work of James Campbell, Professor Jean Watson and Professor Michael West in their respective positions has collectively strengthened the recognition and respect of the nursing and midwifery professions among the wider public, and with key stakeholders in Government and industry."

Professor Jean Watson is a globally renowned scholar whose pioneering work and leadership on the development of a caring science has significantly influenced the nursing and midwifery professions understanding of, and articulation of their work. In particular, Jean’s early work, published in her seminal text, Theory of Human Caring in 1979, identified 10 specific carative factors encompassing the caring human experience. Jean’s work highlighted the features of caring for professional nursing practice and are used by nurses and midwives in their caring roles, on a daily basis in their interactions with service users. These factors are core to the delivery of nursing and midwifery care, and support the professions in understanding their roles, particularly in the complex healthcare arena within which healthcare professionals operate.

Professor Michael West’s pioneering research on compassionate leadership and innovation in healthcare has underpinned national health strategies across the UK and internationally. His partnership with the NHS has supported over half a million clinical and managerial staff, across 100 NHS Trusts, with a programme to develop leadership and workplace cultures that deliver high quality, compassionate patient care. Compassionate leadership has been a central plank throughout Michael’s long and distinguished career, and his work in this area has contributed significantly to the development of high quality care in the health and social care arenas.

Since its inception in 1982, RCSI Faculty of Nursing & Midwifery conference has gone from strength-to-strength over the years and it is currently the oldest conference of its type in Europe. As the Faculty’s flagship event, the annual conference provides a platform for key stakeholders and delegates to exchange ideas, share up-to-date research, and evaluate key topics influencing the nursing and midwifery professions. The conference also provides an important platform for the Faculty to influence the formulation of policy from a national and an international perspective through ongoing engagement and discussion with global leaders, researchers and influencers. It also provides an opportunity to articulate a vision for the future direction of the nursing and midwifery professions.