Agents of Change: The Story of the Nursing Now campaign

The combination of global, national and local action has created a social movement with energy, momentum and enormous reach. It has been immeasurably helped by social media and digital technology, bringing people together, creating digital communities and enabling anyone anywhere to spread ideas and innovation and start their own campaign for local and global improvements in nursing. It has also brought nurses together, sometimes for the first time, built confidence and strengthened links with partners and allies outside of nursing.

Sixty-three groups report increased investment in nursing during the campaign, with some evidence that in 24 countries investment was directly influenced by local Nursing Now groups. There has been an increase in nurses in leadership positions, as Chief Nursing Officers and on boards, who are able to exercise greater influence in shaping policy and service delivery. Nurse-led clinics, particularly for non-communicable diseases, nurse-based primary and community care, nurse specialists, nurse practitioners and nurses in public health are all playing a vital role in countries where they have been developed and employed.