Nursing & Midwifery Council Chair Elected Vice-President Of European Organisation

Main Category: Nursing / Midwifery
Article Date: 17 Nov 2009 - 18:00 PST

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Professor Tony Hazell, Chair of the NMC, has been elected Vice-President of the European Council of Nursing Regulators (FEPI).

At a meeting held in Rome on November 12, FEPI's members elected a new six-strong Executive Board, responsible for setting FEPI's strategic direction.

FEPI brings together nursing regulators from nine EU member states and accession countries, and is also joined through associate membership by regulators in Canada and the United States.

FEPI's aims are to promote patient-focussed health professional regulation at the European level, and to raise awareness of patient and public safety considerations with respect to EU health and mobility policies.

Professor Hazell is the first lay member of FEPI's Executive Board, following a change in the organisation's statutes which now allow for non-nurses to stand as candidates.

Speaking after his election as Vice-President, Professor Hazell said:

"I am delighted to have been given the opportunity to play such an important part in shaping FEPI's future. FEPI is the only organisation representing nursing regulators at EU level, and is a vital vehicle through which the NMC advocates for patient safety internationally. During my term as Vice-President, I hope to help strengthen FEPI's profile among the European Commission and the European Parliament, and to help FEPI communicate its messages among patients and health professionals across Europe. I look forward to working closely with the newly elected President and the other members of the Executive Board."

Professor Hazell also continues as Chair of FEPI's policy working group, which develops responses to relevant EU-level developments and helps nurture the organisation's relationship with EU policy makers.

Other Executive Board members elected in Rome include Mrs Anne Carrigy of Ireland (President), Professor Loredana Sasso of Italy (Vice-President), Mrs Dragica Šimunec of Croatia (General Secretary), Mr Lampros Bizas of Greece (Treasurer) and Dr Gennaro Rocco of Italy (Executive Board member).

Source
The Nursing & Midwifery Council