WISH Research into Nursing and Universal Health Coverage Announced at ‘NURSING NOW’ Launch in London

The World Innovation Summit for Health (WISH), an initiative of Qatar Foundation (QF), is bringing together a group of leading healthcare experts to produce a special report on the role of nursing in delivering universal health coverage. The findings of the report will be presented at WISH 2018, which will take place in Doha from November 13-14 at the Qatar National Convention Centre (QNCC).

News of the formation of the WISH research group was announced at St Thomas’ Hospital in London on February 27 by Lord Nigel Crisp, the group’s chair, during an event attended by Her Royal Highness the Duchess of Cambridge. The announcement formed part of a launch event for ‘Nursing Now’, a global campaign being run in collaboration with the World Health Organization (WHO) and the International Council of Nurses. The campaign aims to improve the perception of nurses, enhance their influence, and maximize their contribution to ensuring everyone everywhere has access to health and healthcare. In addition to chairing the WISH research group, Lord Crisp, who previously held the post of chief executive of the UK’s National Health Service, is co-chair of the three-year Nursing Now campaign.

HRH the Duchess of Cambridge, who was announced at the event by Lord Crisp as Nursing Now’s patron and whose great-grandmother worked as a nurse during the First World War, gave a speech in which she praised the nursing profession, saying: “I would like to congratulate and thank nurses everywhere for what you achieve on a daily basis. The difference you make should not go unrecognized.”

Among those also in attendance at the event were Elizabeth Iro, Chief Nursing Officer of WHO; Annette Kennedy, President of the International Council of Nurses; and Sultana Afdhal, CEO of WISH. Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director General of WHO, joined the event via live video streaming from Geneva.

WISH is an official partner of Nursing Now, and the WISH report will be the first significant evidence-based research project on nursing to be actioned and completed during the Nursing Now campaign. The report will build on the findings of WISH’s existing reports on universal health coverage; the UK’s All-Party Parliamentary Group on Global Health’s report Triple Impact; and the international Council of Nurses’ report Nurses’ Role in Achieving the Sustainable Development Goals.

Speaking at the London event, Lord Crisp said: “The WISH research will examine the contribution of nurses to universal health coverage, particularly in the areas of health promotion, primary and community care, and chronic disease management. As both chair of the nursing forum group convened by WISH and co-chair of Nursing Now, I’m delighted to have been able to announce the WISH research at the Nursing Now launch event.”

WISH CEO Sultana Afdhal noted: “Nurses account for 80 percent of frontline healthcare professionals and the vital role they play in delivering care cannot be underestimated. They deserve to be at the heart of policy decisions relating to healthcare and I am confident that the WISH research being led by Lord Crisp will make significant progress in identifying any barriers that currently prevent nurses from making the optimum contribution to achieving universal health coverage and that the report will feature practical proposals for addressing such barriers.”

As with previous summits, WISH 2018 will gather the world’s healthcare leaders at QNCC to highlight and address some of the world’s most pressing healthcare challenges. WISH 2018 will feature nine research forums, each led by an internationally renowned expert in their field. Nursing and Universal Health Care is the fifth research topic to be announced so far. The four previously announced topics are Eye Health, Viral Hepatitis, Islamic Ethics and Palliative Care, and Design in Health.

WISH, which hosts its showcase Doha summit biennially, has firmly established itself as a major highlight on the global healthcare calendar for the thousands of high-level policy-makers, academics, and professionals in attendance. It has also become a key platform for the dissemination of healthcare innovation and best practices.

As part of an ambitious program for WISH 2018, the summit will also showcase organizations from around the world that are shaping the design, delivery, and financing of healthcare. A specially selected group of young innovators will be given a platform for sharing their novel ideas with a global audience of healthcare policy-makers and influencers.

WISH 2018 will also feature reports on its ongoing impact locally and globally and will provide delegates with updates regarding issues previously highlighted at the summit, such as autism and antimicrobial resistance. Examples of healthcare innovation in action will be on display at ‘The WISH Hub,’ an enhanced interactive space that will showcase novel healthcare products, host informal discussions, and provide hands-on experience with technologies such as artificial intelligence and virtual reality.