The WHO Collaborating Centre for Nursing, Midwifery, and Health Development (WHO CCNM UTS) has released an exciting new video showcasing its transformative work across the Pacific region. This video highlights the Centre's critical contributions to health workforce capacity-building, policy development, and leadership training.

Over the last decade, the Centre has undertaken more than 60 projects in 25 Pacific Island countries, providing vital technical advice, research, project management, and capacity development to strengthen nursing and midwifery in the region. The video serves as a acknowledgement to the collaborative partnerships that have driven these efforts and offers insight into the Centre’s innovative approaches to addressing health challenges in communities.

Professor Michele Rumsey, Director of WHO CCNM UTS, commented: "This video is a celebration of the relationships we have built with our Pacific Island colleagues. It demonstrates the incredible impact we can achieve together to address health inequities and improve outcomes for communities across the region."

The video launch comes as the Centre continues to expand its efforts in promoting Universal Health Coverage (UHC), empowering health professionals, and advancing equity in healthcare. You can view the video below.

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Descriptive transcript

[Professor Debra Anderson speaks] I'm Professor Debra Anderson, the Dean of the Faculty of Health here at the University of Technology Sydney.

We have in the Faculty of Health the global network of the World Health Organization Collaborating Centres for Nursing and Midwifery. The importance of collaboration and partnerships through this centre cannot be overemphasised.

Within the global network, we have 44 Collaborating Centres for Nursing and Midwifery across six regions of the world. The vision of the global network is to achieve health for all through excellence in nursing and midwifery. The mission of the global network is to maximise the contributions of nursing and midwifery to advance health for all, in partnership with the World Health Organization and its member states.

We have centres, non-government organisations and others interested in promoting the health of these populations. In addition to fostering collaboration and communication between members, the network also carries out advocacy and evidence-based policy activities within the framework of the World Health Assembly, regional resolutions and WHO programmes of work, and in alignment with the WHO's strategic directions in nursing and midwifery policy priorities. These include education, jobs, leadership and service delivery.

[Michelle Rumsey speaks] I'm Michelle Rumsey. I'm the Director of the WHO Collaborating Centre. I'm a professor here at the University of Technology Sydney.

The Collaborating Centre has been running since around 2004. We were asked by the Chief Nurses of 15 Pacific Islands to become a Collaborating Centre. We worked for many years with WHO to set one up, and finally in 2008 we became a designated centre.

Not only do we have many partners in the region that we work with, but we also work across UTS. We work with many colleagues in the Faculty of Health, but we also have many, many interns who work within the centre and help us establish our work within the region, and that's really, really powerful.

We're extremely lucky to have been awarded a Partnerships for a Healthy Region grant by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, and this is the beginning of a five-year programme that will work to improve quality improvement, to look at health workforce, regulation, education and leadership.

So, this is really going to be a journey, not only with our Pacific colleagues across the region, but an opportunity to work with our funders and our Australian government, so we are really looking forward to this journey over the next few years.

[Pacific health leader speaks] I believe that the WHO Collaborating Centre at UTS has done very well because they are able to pool resources in terms of how they can assist other WHO Collaborating Centres anywhere in the world to contribute positively to the development of nursing and midwifery services globally.

[Professor Kathleen Baird speaks] My name is Kathleen Baird. I'm a Professor of Midwifery and I'm the Head of School of Nursing and Midwifery in the Faculty of Health at the University of Technology Sydney.

Nurses and midwives are often the primary healthcare provider, especially in remote and underserved areas. Effective leadership ensures that they can deliver high quality care and make critical decisions that impact upon patient outcomes.

Nurse and midwife leaders play a key role in implementing and maintaining quality improvement within facilities, leading to better patient care and safety.

The Pacific Leadership Programme is a vital initiative that supports the development of strong, effective leaders in nursing and midwifery across the Pacific region. The programme includes a series of intensive workshops that cover various aspects of leadership, including strategic planning, decision making and policy development.

Participants of the programme receive ongoing mentorship and support from experienced leaders and experts in both nursing and midwifery. One of the aims of the programme is to build capacity and give them the skills and knowledge to lead and manage health services effectively in resource-limited settings.

[Pacific nurse leader speaks] I've been honoured to be part of the Pacific Leadership Programme. We've learned about policy and politics and leadership, so these sessions have just equipped me so much and I've been really empowered.

This programme really built my leadership knowledge and helped my other colleagues so that we can improve our health services and then we deliver to our people on the job, in education and leadership in our country.

[Lynne Sinclair speaks] My name is Lynne Sinclair. I'm the Associate Dean, Teaching and Learning in the Faculty of Health here at UTS.

Contemporary education, training and regulation of health professionals is fundamental to protecting and maintaining public health and safety. The enabling of continuing professional development and access to higher education ensures nurses and midwives have the knowledge and skills necessary to meet both the current and emerging healthcare needs of their communities.

Working together, we can advance curriculum development and enhance teaching capabilities.

[Pacific health leader speaks] Regional collaboration is very important in the Pacific and also it's really significant in Tonga. We are in a similar situation and the principles and the mindset are almost the same, so that collaboration is really much needed because we will be sharing, we will be working together, we will be building teamwork among the region.

The centre provides us a unique opportunity to partner with our WHO and regional colleagues to improve access to quality education, regulation and accreditation. This will strengthen the nursing and midwifery workforce across the region.

The great partnership that the WHO Collaborating Centre at UTS has done in partnership with the Pacific, which is standing out, is building leadership capabilities so that the nursing and midwifery leaders have capacities, knowledge and skills to be able to have input to policies within member states and have input to strategic directions for nursing and midwifery for ongoing development and improvement within the Pacific.

[Professor Debra Anderson speaks] As the Dean of Health, I am so proud of the work that the WHO Collaborating Centre for Nursing and Midwifery is doing here in our Faculty of Health and at the University of Technology Sydney for both Australia and the Pacific region.

[On screen: UTS logo and website] www.uts.edu.au

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